VW, BMW, and Mercedes post 2020 sales blighted by Covid-19 crisis             

Number of new cars licensed in Ireland in 2020 was 84,309, down almost 26% from 113,305 in 2019.

Sales of luxury cars in China and electric drives in Europe were the two bright spots for European carmakers in 2020. Picture: Larry Cummins

Sales of luxury cars in China and electric drives in Europe were the two bright spots for European carmakers in a 2020 blighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, company updates showed. 

Volkswagen, the world’s biggest carmaker, reported a drop in sales at its core VW brand of just over 15% against 2019.