New Spanish car sales virtually zero

SALES of new motor vehicles in Spain during April dropped by 97% and were the lowest since records began according to data released on Monday by the three associations that act on behalf of car manufacturers, dealers and other sales points. Obviously, the paralysis is due to the coronavirus crisis, a mixture of logistics and financial worries among other things. During the first quarter of 2020 the drop was just under 50%, although the lockdown did not commence until March with the period up to then showing almost normal sales volumes. Dealerships are due to start opening in the next few days and many expect a swift bounce back as backlogs of sales are cleared. However, longer-term the impending financial crisis is bound to have an adverse effect on new vehicle sales as happened in the last crisis. The first market hit was second car ownership, followed by people choosing a second-hand car over a new one while some were managing without one altogether and switching to motorbikes, pushbikes or public transport, especially in cities.