Sales of new cars in Europe increased in the first half of the year

Sales of new cars in Europe increased in June and throughout the first half of 2021, but still lag behind the level before the new coronavirus pandemic. Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) showed this on Friday. According to the latest ACEA figures, the number of new passenger cars registered in the European Union, Britain and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries rose by 13.3 percent to 1,282,503 vehicles in June for the fourth month in a row. However, the reason for such a significant growth is mainly the low comparative base, as last year only restrictions on stopping the new coronavirus pandemic began to be relaxed last year. Sales of new cars in Europe are still below pre-pandemic levels. In particular, 5.4 million cars were sold in Europe for the whole of the first half of the year, which was 25.2 percent more than last year, but 1.5 million fewer vehicles than in the first half of 2019, when almost 7 million new cars. Among EU markets, Italy recorded the steepest jump in car sales in the first half of the year, by 51.4 percent, while Belgium had the worst result with a drop in sales of 16.3 percent. In June, demand for cars rose the most in Germany (24.5 percent), followed by Spain (17.1 percent) and Italy (12.6 percent). In France, on the other hand, passenger car sales fell 14.7 percent in June. The Volkswagen Group, which also includes the Audi, Porsche, Seat and Škoda brands, gained a 26.4 percent share of the European market this year. Just behind it is the Stellantis Group, which owns Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep, among others, with a share of 23.1 percent. BMW-Mini, Hyundai-Kia and Toyota also increased their market share in Europe in the first half of the year, while Ford and Daimler lost some of their share.