EU Registrations: Q1 -12.3%, March -20.5%

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on EU Registrations: Q1 -12.3%, March -20.5%

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During March 2022, passenger car registrations in the European Union continued to decline (-20.5%), with 844,187 units sold, The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, known by its French acronym as ACEA*, said today.

The ongoing supply chain interruptions, 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, including the four key markets: Spain (-30.2%), Italy (-29.7%), France (-19.5%) and Germany (-17.5%). This compares to Passenger car registrations: -6.4% first two months of 2022; -6.7% in February, which means the trend line is increasingly negative.

During the first quarter of 2022, new car registrations fell by 12.3% compared to the same period last year, counting 2,245,976 new passenger cars in total. All four of the major EU markets saw decreases: Italy (-24.4%), France (-17.3%), Spain (-11.6%) and Germany (‑4.6%).

EU Automobile Industry

  • 12.7 million Europeans work in the auto industry (directly and indirectly), accounting for 6.6% of all EU jobs.
  • 11.5% of EU manufacturing jobs – some 3.5 million – are in the automotive sector.
  • Motor vehicles are responsible for €398.4 billion of tax revenue for governments across key European markets.
  • The automobile industry generates a trade surplus of €76.3 billion for the EU.
  • The turnover generated by the auto industry represents more than 8% of the EU’s GDP.
  • Investing €58.8 billion in R&D annually, the automotive sector is Europe’s largest private contributor to innovation, accounting for 32% of total EU spending.

* The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 16 Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Stellantis, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars, and Volvo Group.

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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