European car sales see record fall in 2020 amid pandemic – business live

European car sales see record fall in 2020 amid pandemic – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as European Union car sales slump 23.7% last yearEU car sales drop 23.7% last yearWorst drop on recordUK car sales dropped 29% last year 7.55am GMT Europe's car industry only managed one month of sales growth in 2020, Bloomberg point out:Carmakers managed to better cope with government measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus as the year rolled on, helped by subsidies and dealers embracing online-ordering tools.But the collapse in sales in March, April and May proved difficult to come back from, with the industry managing a single month of growth all year. By contrast, China's auto market expanded throughout the second half. Europe Car Sales Drop Most on Record in Year Bedeviled by Virus https://t.co/TLXY7XQAj7 7.50am GMT Following Brexit, the UK car market isn't included in ACEA's count of EU car sales -- but it suffered an even bigger slump last year.UK car sales slumped by over 29% in 2020 to 1.63m, from 2.3m a year (according to data from the SMMT earlier this month). 7.37am GMT Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the world economy, the financial markets, the eurozone and business.Europe's car industry has