Video: European Car Market Collapsed By 21% In February
2023 Author: Natalie MacDonald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 02:36
New car sales in Western Europe in February 2021 decreased by 21.3%, to 757.4 thousand units, according to LMC Automotive. The demand for cars in the region has been falling for 5 months already.
| Country | February 2021 thousand pcs. | Dynamics, % | Total 2021 thousand pcs. | Dynamics, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 19,9 | -5,5 | 34,1 | -22,6 |
| Belgium | 36,5 | -21,9 | 74,3 | -24,7 |
| Great Britain | 51,3 | -35,5 | 141,6 | -38,1 |
| Germany | 194,3 | -19,0 | 364,1 | -25,1 |
| Greece | 5,8 | -26,8 | 13,2 | -14,1 |
| Denmark | 9,9 | -33,9 | 20,2 | -40,1 |
| Ireland | 13,8 | 5,3 | 39,0 | -11,0 |
| Spain | 58,3 | -38,4 | 100,2 | -44,6 |
| Italy | 143,0 | -12,2 | 277,0 | -13,1 |
| Luxembourg | 3,9 | -19,7 | 7,6 | -16,6 |
| Netherlands | 21,9 | -26,3 | 57,1 | -22,6 |
| Norway | 10,7 | 3,3 | 21,0 | 5,4 |
| Portugal | 8,3 | -59,0 | 18,3 | -47,1 |
| Finland | 8,2 | -1,2 | 17,5 | -8,0 |
| France | 132,6 | -20,9 | 259,0 | -14,2 |
| Switzerland | 16,1 | -15,6 | 31,3 | -17,5 |
| Sweden | 22,8 | 5,3 | 43,4 | 12,8 |
| Total | 757,4 | - 3,8 | 1518,8 | - 23,5 |
Sales fell in almost all Western European countries, and in many of them very strongly. For example, one of the largest markets - the UK - collapsed by 35.5%. In Spain, the fall was even stronger: minus 38.4%. Germany and France sank less: minus 19 and 20.9%, respectively, and Italy showed the least sad result among the countries with the most massive car markets - minus 12.2%.
The Russian car market was in 4th place, behind Germany, Italy and France: sales in the country exceeded the mark of 120 thousand cars (plus 0.8%).
The strongest collapse was noted in Portugal, where demand fell by more than half. Only Ireland (plus 5.3%), Norway (plus 3.3%) and Sweden (plus 5.3%) managed to gain a plus.
The results of the month indicate a deep crisis in the automotive industry caused by the pandemic. Restrictions are still in effect in most countries, although there has been some revival as the vaccine is being developed, experts at LMC Automotive say. It is assumed that the market will more actively recover in the second half of the year - thanks to the removal of coronavirus restrictions.
In January-February, only two countries managed to gain profit: Sweden and Norway. The strongest falls were recorded in Portugal, Spain, Denmark and the UK.
For 2 months in the countries of Western Europe, 1 million 518.8 thousand new cars were sold - 23.5% less than a year earlier. The forecast for the year is 10.1 million units and minus 6.2%.
