European car sales in the first quarter were higher than in the first three months of 2020. This is thanks to a significant rebound in sales last month, the European industry association for automakers ACEA reports.
More than a million cars were registered in March. That number was 87.3 percent above sales in March last year, the first month in which the effects of the corona pandemic were felt in the European car industry. In January and February there were still significant declines in car sales on an annual basis, when the numbers sold were also considerably lower than in March. In the entire first quarter, sales were up 3.2 percent from the first three months of 2020 due to the rebound last month.
In Italy in particular, it was noticeable that the situation is different from a year ago. The southern European country was one of the first countries in Europe to be hit by corona and car sales fell dramatically. Last month, almost six times as many cars were registered as a year earlier. Of the major car markets, Italy (plus 28.7 percent) and France (plus 21.1 percent) are in better shape than last year after three months. In Germany (minus 6.4 percent) and Spain (minus 14.9 percent) sales are still behind.
The Netherlands is lagging behind
In the Netherlands, the past quarter has not been good for sales growth. 103,203 cars were registered here. That is more than a fifth less than in the first three months of last year. March was, as in Germany and Spain, not a good month either. With a sales decline of almost 18 percent, we plunged even harder here than in those countries.