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New passenger automobile registrations in the European Union fell by almost a quarter in 2020, due directly to the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said.
“Indeed, containment measures – including full‐scale lockdowns and other restrictions throughout the year – had an unprecedented impact on car sales across the European Union,” the Brussels-based organization said Jan. 19.
European automobile registrations plunge
Registrations in the 27-member bloc fell to 9.94 million units from January to December. The total marked a 23.7% decline from slightly over 13 million in 2019, the ACEA noted.
The E.U.’s largest economy, Germany, recorded a 19.1% decline in registrations to 2.92 millions from 3.61 million.
Spain, another major auto market in Europe, reported 851,211 automobile registrations. The country’s registrations fell by a third from 1.26 million, ACEA noted.
Meanwhile, Croatia and Bulgaria saw the largest decreases in new automobile registrations over 2020. Registrations in the two countries fell by 42.8% and 36.8%, respectively.
The automotive industry is one of steel’s largest end-users in flat rolled steel products, including cold rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized sheet as well as painted sheet.
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