European car sales plummeted in March as a result of the corona pandemic. The number of cars that were sold has more than halved compared to a year earlier, to 567,308.
According to the European car industry organization ACEA, which provides the figures, this very poor sales were in line with expectations. In the second half of March, the majority of car dealers in the European Union were forced to close.
Sales declined in all 27 EU countries. The biggest downturn was recorded in Italy, where the market collapsed by more than 85 percent. French sales also fell by over 72 percent. Europe’s largest car country, Germany, saw nearly 38 percent fewer new passenger cars roll out of showrooms. Only in Finland did sales remain somewhat stable. There, about 1 percent fewer cars were purchased.