Decline in EU car registrations accelerated in March

Brussels – Passenger car registrations in the European Union fell by 20.5% in March, with 844,187 units sold, according to the latest ACEA data.

Ongoing supply-chain disruptions, further exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, negatively affected car production, the industry body has reported 20 April.

Most EU countries, it said, recorded double-digit declines in sales, including the four key markets: Spain (-30.2%), Italy (-29.7%), France (-19.5%) and Germany (-17.5%).

The figures mark an acceleration of a negative trend over the first quarter of 2022, which has seen new-car registrations fall by 12.3% year-on-year, to 2,245,976 units.

All four of the major EU markets registered decreases: Italy (-24.4%), France (-17.3%), Spain (-11.6%) and Germany (4.6%), noted the ACEA.