Passenger car sales in the EU declined by 23.7pc or three million units on an annual basis, to 9.9 million cars sold, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
The fall in sales was attributed to COVID-19 shutdowns across the regions during the year. Among the member nations, Spain posted the steepest drop in annual sales, 32.3pc, while Italy’s and France’s sales also fell by 27.9pc and 25.5pc, respectively.
In December, passenger car sales in the EU amounted to 1.03 million units, down by 3.3pc over the same month in 2019, ACEA data indicated.
Sales in Italy declined the most, by 14.9pc to 119,454 units, in December compared with the prior-year period. French car sales in December were also short by 11.9pc over the same month last year, tallying at 186,323 units. However, sales in Germany rose by 9.9pc to 311,394 units in December while Spanish car sales trended flat at 105,841 units.