Sales of new cars in the European Union fell in March by 55.1 per cent year-on-year, a trade group says, blaming the record drop on the novel coronavirus epidemic.
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Just around 567,000 new cars were registered, less than half compared to March 2019, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) says in its monthly bulletin.
ACEA calls it a “dramatic drop … as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak,” and notes that car dealerships in most of Europe have been closed due to virus “containment/lockdown measures.”
It is the biggest year-on-year monthly percentage fall on record, a spokeswoman for ACEA adds.
In absolute terms, it is the worst March sales figure since 1990, according to data on ACEA’s website.