Europe car sales slump 20% in April, dashing hopes for recovery

Forecasters cut their estimate for passenger-car sales each of the last four months

Registrations fell 20% to 830,447 vehicles in April, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said on Wednesday, the steepest decline this year. Picture: Gareth Fuller

Europe’s new-vehicle sales shrank for a 10th month in a row as the industry remains mired in supply-chain crises that are stoking record inflation and threatening to put off car buyers.

Registrations fell 20% to 830,447 vehicles in April, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said on Wednesday, the steepest decline this year. Stellantis, the carmaker formed from the merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler, was the hardest-hit among major manufacturers with a 31% drop.