- The 17-country European car market for passenger cars fell 52.9% in March 2020 to 772,671 units. Over the quarter, the European market in 17 countries fell 27.1% to 2,761,631 units. This sharp drop recorded in March 2020 is due to the coronavirus crisis which led to the closure of factories and car dealerships in the middle of the month, and of course to the confinement of the population. This decline is the largest since World War II, as even the successive oil shocks and the 2008/2009 financial crisis had not had such an impact on European auto sales and production. The market of the 12 countries of central and eastern Europe, for its part, fell 38.1% in March 2020 to 79,291 units, and 18.6% in the quarter to 291,073 units. In total, the European market for 29 countries fell 51.9% in March 2020 to 851,962 units, and 26.3% in the quarter to 3,052,704 units. Over the year, the European market could fall by 30%.

- April 2020 will be even worse, since the closure of factories and car dealerships as well as the confinement of populations spread throughout the month. We could record a fall of around 90%.

- The manufacturers most affected in Europe during the quarter were: Ford Group (-38.1%), FCA Group (-34.3%), PSA Group (-34.2%), Renault-Nissan Group (-33, 2%), Daimler Group (-25.9%), Tata Group (-25.5%), Volkswagen Group (-19.1%), Geely Group (-19.1%), Hyundai-Kia Group (- 18.7%), BMW Group (-16.7%), Toyota Group (-9.4%).

- Tesla is the only manufacturer to post a positive score in the quarter.