EU new-car sales fall 22% in June

Brussels – New EU passenger car registrations fell 22.3% to 949,722 units in June, marking a slight improvement over May, which saw demand halved across the European Union.

While dealerships opened for business again after lockdown measures were lifted, consumer demand did not fully recover last month, said the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) 16 July.

All EU markets continued to post significant declines in June, while France was the only exception to the rule with a 1.2% year-on-year improvement. 

ACEA linked the gains to the new incentives introduced by the French government at the beginning of June to stimulate sales of low-emission vehicles. 

Other major car markets all recorded double-digit drops with Spain, Germany and Italy posting declines of 36.7%, 32.3% and 23.1% respectively. 

Over the first half of 2020, EU demand for new passenger cars contracted by 38.1% reflecting four consecutive months of “unprecedented declines” across the region. 

Among the four major EU markets, Spain saw the biggest decline with a 50.9% decrease in demand, followed by Italy, France and Germany which registered falls of 46.1%, 38.6% and 34.5% respectively.