The automotive sector in crisis in Europe

The Flins-sur-Seine assembly plant of the French manufacturer Renault in May 2020 (illustration image).

AFP - MARTIN BUREAU

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Sales of new cars are experiencing a record drop in 2021 due to the health crisis and global shortages of semiconductors, according to data published on Tuesday January 18 by the Association of European Manufacturers (ACEA).

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Only 9.7 million vehicles were sold on the old continent.

This is the lowest number since 1990, when the statistics were created.

Lower than 1993 and 2013, dark years for the automotive industry.

Blame it on the shortage of electronic chips essential for the assembly of cars.

It is in Germany, the largest automotive market in Europe, that the fall is the strongest, with a 10% plunge in sales in 2021 and only 2.6 million vehicles sold.

Spain at its lowest

Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark have also seen their sales collapse.

Spain, one of the hardest hit countries in 2020, remains at rock bottom.

Italy, for its part, posted a slight recovery, +5.5%.  

France, for its part, remained stable (+0.5%) but at its lowest, with more than one and a half million vehicles sold last year, roughly the situation in 1975. Renault sales have fell by 10%, that of Stellantis, ex PSA-Peugeot-Citroën by only 2%, driven by the good sales of Jeep.

Volkswagen steps back

Market leaders Volkswagen is falling, as are Skoda and Audi.

Porsche and BMW are doing well, thanks to strong relationships with their suppliers that have allowed them to avoid disruptions in their production chain.

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