European car sales fall for sixth straight month

New car registrations in the European Union declined for a sixth straight month in December and decreased for the whole year 2021 mainly due to the semiconductor shortage, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) said on Tuesday.

New car registrations in the EU dropped 22.8 per cent year-on-year to 795,295 units, after a 20.5 per cent slump in November.

In December 2020, sales were down 3.3 per cent. Most markets in the EU saw double-digit drops.

For the full year 2021, car registrations decreased 2.4 per cent to 9.7 million units. This fall was the result of the semiconductor shortage that negatively impacted car production throughout the year, but especially during the second half of 2021, the ACEA said.

In 2021, total EU car registrations were still 3.3 million units below pre-crisis sales in 2019.

By country

Germany's car sales decreased 26.9 per cent in December and 10.1 per cent in 2021. France's car registrations slumped 15.1 per cent in December, but grew 0.5 per cent for the full year. Italy's new car sales dropped 27.5 per cent annually in December, but rose 5.5 per cent in 2021, marking the biggest increase among the four main markets in the region.

In Spain, new car sales tumbled 18.7 per cent in December, while they rose 1 per cent for the full year.