The number of new cars sold in the European Union fell by more than 23 percent in September compared to the same month in 2020.
The biggest problem for car manufacturers is the persistent shortage of chips, according to the European automotive industry association ACEA.
Last month, 718,598 cars were registered within the EU. According to the European car industry, it has not happened since 1995 that so few cars were sold in September.
2021 started promisingly for car manufacturers, with clearly higher sales figures than in the first months of 2020. Then the corona pandemic hit the sector hard. Car factories had to close due to the risk of corona infections, and for a while, the demand for new cars fell away.
Over the first nine months, car sales are still growing at 6 percent year-on-year. In the Netherlands, however, 4.9 percent fewer new cars were sold in the first three quarters. Also, in Germany, the largest car market in the European Union, fewer cars have been sold since the turn of the year compared to the same period in 2020.