The disaster continues. In February, the least cars since the beginning of statistics were sold in the EU – Pravda.sk

In terms of car sales, the EU has had its worst February ever. And it looks like March won’t be better. Photo: Škoda-Auto Car manufacturers stop producing cars due to lack of parts. Škoda also has problems with the start of production of its top model Enyaq Coupé. In February 2022, new car registrations in the European Union fell further, down 6.7 percent. The reason is the disruption of supply and demand chains, first by COVID and the current war in Ukraine. Problem after problem Due to it, practically all large car manufacturers producing in Europe are gradually shutting down production. They have been plagued by a chip crisis for a year, which will also worsen. The acute problem at the moment is especially the imminent shortage of neon gas, which is needed for the production of even without that insufficient car microchips. Another problematic element, the supplies of which are already bound and will be even more bound, is palladium, which is needed, for example, for the production of catalysts. Russia is one of the big suppliers for change. It is also one of the strategic suppliers of nickel needed for lithium electric vehicle batteries. The lack of electric cables is a nightmare for European carmakers. One of their largest manufacturers operates in Ukraine – Leoni, which employs about 7,000 people. Their other manufacturers, Fujikura and Nexans, also have problems. Read more Car production will fall by as much as 3.5 million units this year. War is to blame. And so prosaic things like soot are missing. “Few people know that carbon black, for example, is one of the most important products from the Russian Federation. They are necessary for the production of tires, “writes the weekly Škodovácký odborář. The problem is not only the interruption of production, but also the fact that already produced components and raw materials can not get where it is needed. Ship, rail and freight transport are also failing. In addition, inflation has come and with it a general rise in prices, while at the same time energy prices have skyrocketed, which further complicates production. And cars are starting to be missing out on the market. This is clearly reflected in the current sales numbers. Negative record In February, only 719,465 new cars were registered in the European Union, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). According to him, this is the weakest February ever since ACEA records statistics on new car sales. However, the decline in sales is not flat. Four key markets in the region have shown mixed results. Italy and France, for example, recorded significant double-digit losses year-on-year (-22.6 percent and -13 percent), while Spain and Germany recorded growth (+ 6.6 percent and + 3.2 percent). Read more There is no neon for chip production. Ukraine was its largest supplier In the first two months of this year, total registrations of new cars in the European Union fell by 6.4 percent compared to the same period last year. Looking at the four largest markets, Italy again saw the largest decline (-21.1 percent), followed by France (-15.7 percent). By contrast, markets in Germany (+ 5.6 percent) and Spain (+ 4.2 percent) continued to grow. The situation in the automotive industry remains extremely complicated and is deteriorating further than the more significant signs of stabilization. It looks like March will be extremely weak in terms of new car sales, and the automotive industry is probably facing the worst year of this century.