Europe’s Car Sales Keep Falling Short of Pre-Pandemic Levels
- May registrations up 74% from last year but down 25% from 2019
- Subdued recovery contrasts with ‘remarkable’ U.S. strength
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For the third month in a row, auto sales in Europe climbed from depressed levels a year ago while coming up well short of where they were pre-pandemic.
New-car registrations jumped 74% in May, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said Thursday, helped by an easy comparison to a time when showrooms were closed across the region. While restrictions were still in place in certain markets last month, including France, other countries struggled even as rules were relaxed. Relative to May 2019, sales across Europe were down 25%.