LONDON (ICIS) – EU car registrations rose year-over-year in April as coronavirus restrictions were responsible for 2020’s low base rate, the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) said on Wednesday.
In the EU, new registrations almost tripled in April compared to the previous year, but the number remained 300,000 units lower than in April 2019.
The strong increases were constant throughout the 27-country bloc. Many markets posted double-digit or even triple-digit percentages in April.
The automotive industry is a major end user for petrochemicals. It consumes around 20% of total production, as vehicle production uses significant amounts of plastics, resins, rubber and paints.
Despite the slowdown in recent years, auto is still identified as a growth area for many as the focus on sustainability and the opportunities for light vehicles increases.
|
April 2021 |
April 2020 |
change |
|
| ME | 862.226 | 270,651 | 219% |
|
Germany |
229,650 |
120,840 |
90% |
|
France |
140.426 |
20,997 |
569% |
|
Italy |
145.033 |
4,295 |
3.277% |
|
Spain |
78,595 |
4.163 |
1,787.9% |
|
Poland |
40.149 |
15,239 |
163.5% |
Great Britain, one of the largest European markets for new passenger car sales, saw a more than thirty-fold increase with almost 142,000 units sold.
JANUARY-APRIL
Passenger car demand rose 24.4% year over year between January and April 2021, reaching a total of 3.4 million registered units, boosted by the strength over the past two months.
Italy continued to be the strongest of the four key markets, increasing 68.4% over the course of 2021, followed by France with an increase of 51.0%
Positive results in April brought Spain (18.8%) and Germany (7.8%) into positive territory for the first time this year.
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Cover picture: An automobile factory in France
Source: Michel Spingler / AP / Shutterstock
