In Belgium, only a fraction less new cars were registered in July than last year in the same month. Looking over the first seven months of 2020, the overall picture remains worrying.
Last month, 44,532 new passenger cars were registered in Belgium. That means a decrease of 1.23 percent compared to the same month last year, reports the Belgian and Luxembourg car federation Febiac. This has made it clear that the market has recovered considerably after the deep trough during the lockdown. It is not yet going as far as in the Netherlands, because even more cars were sold here last month than in July 2019.
The most popular brand in July among our southern neighbors was Volkswagen, with 4,627 cars sold. Renault follows on number two, with 4,125 units. For the French brand there is a remarkable boost in Belgium. Renault sold 12.55 percent more vehicles than in July 2019. However, the number three, BMW, is the biggest winner. That brand experienced a sales increase of no less than 66.95 percent compared to last year. Peugeot and Audi complete the top 5.
Viewed over the first seven months of 2020, it is clear how the lockdown has affected Belgium. To date, 26.6 percent fewer cars have been sold than in the same period last year, 261,137 compared to 355,598 cars. However, Febiac, looking back on the fairly positive sales month, speaks of an ‘encouraging start to the second half year’. The hope is that license plate registrations will continue at least at this level for the time being.