Sales of new cars in the EU in September 2021 fell by 23.1% compared to the same month a year earlier, according to the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), published on Friday, October 15.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – October 17, 2021 – Transportation
Last month, only 718,598 new cars were registered in the European Union (excluding Malta, for which data are not available), the lowest figure since 1995.
The decline in sales is mainly due to the lack of supply of vehicles due to the current shortage of semiconductors. In all major EU markets, there has been a decline, which is expressed in double digits. Thus, in Italy, car sales decreased by 32.7%, in Germany – by 25.7%, in France – by 20.5%, in Spain – by 15.7%.
Meanwhile, in the first nine months of 2021, sales of new cars in the European Union increased by 6.6% year on year to 7.5 million cars. According to ACEA, this was facilitated by good sales figures earlier this year.
The most significant sales growth in January-September was observed in Italy (by 20.6%), followed by Spain and France (by 8.8% and 8% respectively). In Germany, sales fell by 1.2%.
Lack of spare parts forced Toyota to worsen forecasts again
The automotive industry has suffered from a shortage of semiconductors in the world more than in other sectors of the economy. Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. on Friday reduced the target of global car production in November by about 15% from the previously planned against the background of a persistent shortage of components. Instead of 1 million next month, the company now expects to collect only about 850-900 thousand cars, according to a press release published on Friday.
“As we still lack some spare parts and will not be able to compensate for insufficient production in the past, we have adjusted our initial production plans for November,” the statement said. – This adjustment will affect about 50,000 cars in Japan and from 50,000 to 100,000 cars abroad.
At the same time, according to Toyota, the target for car production for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, is expected to remain unchanged at 9 million vehicles “due to the easing of COVID-19-related restrictions in Southeast Asia.”, as well as a smaller-than-expected reduction in production in September and October.
Last month, the company lowered its annual production forecast by about 3% as the spread of coronavirus in Southeast Asia limited access to semiconductors and other key components.
“The worst period is over,” Toyota Purchasing Group Chief Kazunari Kumakura told reporters. “We see a reduction in risks,” he said, noting, however, that the imbalance between supply and demand persists, despite the normalization of the chip market.
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Source: Ukrgate
