The COVID-19 virus has hit so many industries and the recovery seems a far fetched notion for some. The economic free-falling started with the tourism industry and then the airlines took a massive hit and now we see all businesses across the whole globe getting hit in one way or another. We are in the automotive news and car review industry and so our news concentration will follow the automotive industry which is starting to decline sharply. The idea of buying a new car is no longer on the mind of many people across the globe and country by country the decline in sales has been bad. The hardest hit automotive market in March 2020 has been Europe and the country that has been hit the hardest by COVID-19 is Italy.
Italy
Registrations in Italy fell by 85 percent in March 2020, as sales activity came to a halt during the month because of restrictions to counter the coronavirus outbreak. New-car sales were 28,326, the transport ministry said in a statement last Wednesday. Registrations had fallen by 5.9 percent in January and 8.8 percent in February, when the virus was first detected in Italy.
France
Registrations in France fell by 72 percent in March, as dealerships closed their doors by government order in the middle of the month to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
There were 62,688 registrations in March, industry group CCFA said last Wednesday, with 22 selling days, compared to 21 in March 2019. The French government put in place strict limits on movement and commerce across the country on March 16, including on dealerships, effectively ending auto sales. Even before that, residents had been advised to work from home and avoid unnecessary travel and contacts.
Spain
New-car sales in Spain fell 69 percent to 37,644 in March, hit by the government-imposed lockdown to fight the coronavirus outbreak. Registrations by rental companies fell 75 percent, demand from private customers dropped 68 percent and fleet sales to companies declined 67 percent, according to industry association ANFAC.
Sales of all categories of electrified vehicles fared better than the market average, although their registrations were still down by double-digit figures.
Sales of battery-electric cars declined 44 percent. Registrations of plug-in hybrid vehicles were down 22 percent and full hybrids dropped by 26 percent.
Sales of petrol-powered cars dropped 74 percent for a 55.2 percent market share, down 7.9 percentage points from March 2019. Registrations of diesel-powered vehicles were down 68 percent for a 24.8 percent share, 2.1 percentage points lower than March 2019.
