Sales of new cars decreased by 261 thousand in March compared to last year. In the first three months of the year, the decline reached 10.6% yoy . The smallest decline was seen in Iceland (51.6%) while sales in Sweden dropped the most (-39.5%). Volkswagen Group sold the most cars in March 2022 in Europe, some 257 thousand vehicles representing 22.8% of the European market.
In March, passenger car registrations in the EU continued to decline (-20.5%), with 844,187 units sold. The ongoing supply chain disruptions, further exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, negatively affected car production. As a result, most countries in the region recorded double-digit drops in sales.
In March, most vehicles (243 thousand) were sold in the United Kingdom (down 14.3% yoy), followed by Germany (241 thousand, down 17.5%), France with 147 thousand cars (down 19.5%), 119 thousand new vehicles were registered in Italy (down 29.6%) and 59.9 thousand in Spain (down 30.2%). The five largest countries accounted for 66.7% of total new vehicles registered in March 2022.
In relative terms, sales in Iceland (+51.6%) and Romania (+40.2%) declined the least compared to a year ago, whereas registration in Sweden and Denmark dropped the most (-39.5% and -38.4% yoy), in March 2022, according to ACEA.
Volkswagen Group sold the most cars in March 2022 in Europe, some 257 thousand vehicles representing 22.8% of the European market. Sales of PSA Group amounted to 150 thousand vehicles (or 13.3% of the market) while Hyundai Group and Renault Group held 9.60% and 8.40% of the European market in March. Overall, the five largest manufacturers sold 61.2% of all new cars in March.
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