Car sales figures in major European countries plummeted in March as restrictions on movement and stringent social distancing measures to limit the COVID-19 outbreak decimated demand and the ability to purchase new vehicles.
French passenger car sales plunged 72.2pc in March to 62,668 units from the same month the prior year, while those for light commercial vehicles plummeted 64.8pc to 16,854 units, according to French Automobile Manufacturers Committee data.
Vehicle registrations for passenger cars in Italy tumbled 85.4pc in March to 28,326 units from 194,302 units in March 2019, according to Associazione Nazionale Filiera Industria Automobilistica data.
Sharp declines were witnessed in Spain where passenger car sales declined 69.3pc to 37,644 units in March compared to 122,659 units in March 2019, according to Asociacion Espanola de Fabricantes de Automoviles y Camiones data.
With restrictions and lockdowns in Europe unlikely to be relaxed in the immediate future given that the pace of the virus outbreak has yet to subside, automotive sales figures are expected to remain stressed in April.