BRUSSELS—New passenger car registrations throughout the European Union fell again in June, a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Registration fell 22.3 percent to 949,722 units in June, marking a slight improvement over May, which saw demand plummet by 50 percent.
Consumer demand has not fully recovered, even as auto dealerships opened after lockdowns, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said on July 16. Markets throughout the EU experienced signifcant declines in June.
France was the only exception to the rule, experiencing a 1.2 percent year-on-year improvement. ACEA linked the gains to the new incentives introduced by the French government at the beginning of June to stimulate sales of low-emission vehicles.
Other major car markets all recorded double-digit drops with Spain declining 36.7 percent, followed by Germany (32.3 percent) and Italy (23.1 percent).
Throughout the first half of 2020, EU demand for new passenger cars contracted by 38.1 percent, reflecting four consecutive months of "unprecedented declines" across the region.
Among the four major EU markets, Spain saw the biggest decline (50.9 percent), followed by Italy (46.1 percent), France (38.6 percent) and Germany (34.5 percent).