Passenger car registrations fall 7.8% in Europe in October

In October, passenger car registrations across Europe dropped by 7.8%. Following a modest uplift in September (+3.1%), the European car market recorded 953 615 new vehicles in the tenth month of the year - 81 054 fewer than in the same month of 2019.

According to ACEA - the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association - the reintroduction of restrictions by a number of European governments to tackle the second wave of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) weighed on demand. Ireland (+5.4%) and Romania (+17.6%) were the only countries to post positive growth in October.

Among the main markets, Spain registered the sharpest fall (-21%). It was followed by more moderate declines in France (-9.5%) and Germany (-3.6%), while Italy edged down by just 0.2%.

Year-to-date

Even so, the pandemic continues to depress the annual performance of the passenger car market in Europe. Between January and October, new passenger car registrations fell by 26.8% - equivalent to 2.9 million fewer units compared with the same period in 2019.

Over the first ten months of the year, Spain recorded the biggest losses among Europe’s major car markets (-36.8%). Next came Italy (-30.9%), France (-26.9%) and Germany (-23.4%).

The Portuguese case

In October, the national market for new passenger cars underperformed the European average, posting a negative balance of 12.6%.

Looking at the cumulative period, Portugal also remains well below the European Union average, with a negative variation of -37.1%.

Figures by brand

Below is the table showing passenger car figures for the 15 most-registered car brands in the European Union during October. Year-to-date values are also included:

October	January to October

Position	Brand	2020	2019	Change %	2020	2019	Change %
1st	Volkswagen	105 562	129 723	-18.6%	911 048	1 281 571	-28.9%
2nd	Renault	75 174	74 655	+0.7%	614 970	823 765	-25.3%
3rd	Peugeot	69 416	73 607	-5.7%	545 979	737 576	-26.0%
4th	Mercedes-Benz	61 927	64 126	-3.4%	480 093	576 170	-16.7%
5th	Škoda	52 119	53 455	-2.5%	455 887	552 649	-17.5%
6th	Toyota	49 279	52 849	-8.5%	429 786	516 196	-16.7%
7th	BMW	47 204	55 327	-14.7%	420 363	511 337	-17.8%
8th	Audi	47 136	40 577	+16.2%	379 426	489 416	-22.5%
9th	Fiat	46 983	44 294	+6.1%	373 438	526 183	-29.0%
10th	Ford	45 640	57 614	-20.8%	402 925	595 343	-32.3%
11th	Citroën	41 737	47 295	-11.8%	344 343	498 404	-30.9%
12th	Opel	39 006	39 313	-0.8%	311 315	574 209	-45.8%
13th	Dacia	36 729	36 686	+0.1%	306 951	453 773	-32.4%
14th	Kia	34 693	34 451	+0.7%	282 936	336 039	-15.8%
15th	Hyundai	33 868	39 278	-13.8%	294 100	386 073	-23.8%

Volkswagen remains the Europeans’ preferred brand. It held on to first place in October ahead of Renault. Even so, the French manufacturer recorded a 0.7% rise in registrations in the tenth month of the year, while the Wolfsburg-based Germans posted one of October’s steepest declines (-18.6%).

Audi also provided a bright spot, continuing its growth trajectory in the European market. In October, the Volkswagen Group brand increased by 16.2%, taking eighth place among the most-registered brands across Europe (in September, Audi ranked as Europeans’ 12th most sought-after brand).

Growth was also evident at Fiat, which was up 6.1% compared with 2019. Kia (+0.7%) and Dacia (+0.1%) likewise delivered positive results.

On a cumulative basis, all 15 brands listed show negative figures versus last year. This is largely a consequence of the economic crisis triggered by (COVID-19) and the restriction and lockdown measures being applied by most European governments.

ACEA had already forecast that the market for new passenger cars in Europe would fall by around 25% in 2020.

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