In December 2023, the passenger car sales in the European Union decreased year-on-year at a rate of 3.3 percent. Customers in the whole European market purchased around 1.05 million units in total. At some 241,900 units, Germany remained the leading market for passenger car sales in Europe that month.
European auto market flip-flops
Countries with strict lockdown measures saw a sharp drop in sales in 2020, as customers were restricted in travel and urged to stop all non-essential activity. The pandemic also brought down productivity in many sectors, including vehicle manufacturing. For months, pandemic-related restrictions had left many people out of work or meant that they were receiving only a portion of their normal income. Although the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, vaccine rollout was ramped up and sales of new passenger cars shot up significantly in the second quarter of 2021. However, the Delta variant made it more difficult to control the spread of the virus and there have been supply-chain insecurities throughout 2021, upending the positive trend. The global automotive semiconductor shortage further impacted vehicle production and sale, as inventories depleted.
Pre-crisis sales
Changes in tax regulations resulted in a peak in December 2019 and weak sales figures in January 2020. Registrations of new passenger cars in Europe's largest markets were already low due to consumer uncertainty and a weakening economy even before the coronavirus pandemic caused markets to tank in March and April 2020.
Monthly passenger car sales in Europe between March 2020 and December 2023
(in 1,000 units)
European Free Trade Association markets (including Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland), European Union, and United Kingdom markets.
Values have been rounded to the nearest thousands.
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ACEA. (January 18, 2024). Monthly passenger car sales in Europe between March 2020 and December 2023 (in 1,000 units) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 15, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104622/monthly-car-registrations-europe/
ACEA. "Monthly passenger car sales in Europe between March 2020 and December 2023 (in 1,000 units)." Chart. January 18, 2024. Statista. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104622/monthly-car-registrations-europe/
ACEA. (2024). Monthly passenger car sales in Europe between March 2020 and December 2023 (in 1,000 units). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104622/monthly-car-registrations-europe/
ACEA. "Monthly Passenger Car Sales in Europe between March 2020 and December 2023 (in 1,000 Units)." Statista, Statista Inc., 18 Jan 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104622/monthly-car-registrations-europe/
ACEA, Monthly passenger car sales in Europe between March 2020 and December 2023 (in 1,000 units) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104622/monthly-car-registrations-europe/ (last visited October 15, 2024)
Monthly passenger car sales in Europe between March 2020 and December 2023 (in 1,000 units) [Graph], ACEA, January 18, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104622/monthly-car-registrations-europe/