European new car registrations 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) showed Tuesday.
New car registrations in the EU dropped 22.8 percent year-on-year to 795,295 units, after a 20.5 percent slump in November.
In December 2020, sales were down 3.3 percent.
Most markets in the EU saw double-digit drops in December.
For the full year 2021, car registrations decreased 2.4 percent 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.
Germany's car sales decreased 26.9 percent in December and 10.1 percent in 2021.
France's car registrations slumped 15.1 percent in December, but grew 0.5 percent for the full year.
Italy's new car sales dropped 27.5 percent annually in December, but rose 5.5 percent in 2021, marking the biggest increase among the four main markets in the region.
In Spain, new car sales tumbled 18.7 percent in December, while they rose 1.0 percent for the full year.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.