For the international automotive markets 2019 turned out to be a challenging year. The European passenger car market (EU-28 and EFTA) exceeded its 2018 result and demand grew in Brazil, but in the US the number of light vehicles sold was down on the previous year. The Asian markets also showed weak development. China, Japan and India all failed to match their 2018 levels. The Russian market also contracted.
In Europe a total of 15.8 million passenger cars were newly registered in 2019, around 1 percent more than in the previous year. The large volume markets returned varying results. The markets expanded in Germany (+5 percent) and France (+2 percent). In Italy new registrations hovered around the 2018 level. By contrast, falls were recorded in the United Kingdom (-2 percent) and Spain (-5 percent). Out of the approx. 30 European markets, 20 countries finished the year with a positive balance. Passenger car sales in Europe were close to 1.3 million units in December – a year-on-year rise of 21 percent.
In the US, the light vehicle market (passenger cars and light trucks) ended 2019 with nearly 17.0 million vehicles sold (-1 percent). This was the first time the US market had missed the 17-million mark since 2014. Passenger car sales fell by 11 percent, while sales rose by 3 percent in the light truck segment that now accounts for 72 percent of the market as a whole. In December 1.5 million light vehicles were sold (-6 percent).
The volume of the Chinese passenger car market lost almost 10 percent in 2019, falling to 21.0 million new vehicles. Following 2018, this was the second contraction in recent decades. The December sales volume came to just under 2.2 million units, which was 1 percent down on the previous year. China’s weaker overall economic growth is reflected disproportionately in the car market.
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SOURCE: VDA
