January’s car sales in EU plunge

New car sales in Europe plunged 24 percent from a year earlier to a record low in January as the coronavirus pandemic kept the market under pressure, an industry survey showed on Wednesday. In 2020, marked by strict lockdowns and economic upheaval, car sales in the 27-member European Union slumped by some 3 million to under 10 million, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. “In January 2021, the EU passenger car market posted an accelerated decline, as COVID-related restrictions continued to weigh heavily on sales across the European Union,” the ACEA said in a statement.