Q1 figures show pandemic impact on car sales
First-quarter car sales for 2020 show a dramatic impact from the covid-19 pandemic. Compared to sales for 2019, according to German automotive industry association VDA, when a total of 65,504,300 cars were sold, market projections for 2020 are expected to plummet by 22%.
All car manufacturing groups saw negative data and the one that fared worst, according to the figures available, was Nissan, which saw a 29.6% decrease in cars sold compared to Q1 in 2019.
Another Japanese group, Toyota, had the highest sales in the quarter at 2.3 million, but this also represents a decline, of 11%.
German manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz saw falls of 20.6% and 14.9%, respectively, with BMW stating that the decimation of the market will impact its annual profits in 2020.
The picture is little different on the other side of the Atlantic, with Ford and General Motors posting declines in sales of 12.5% and 7%, respectively. Ford has production rolling again in Germany, Spain and Romania since early May following a seven-week suspension owing to covid-19.
