German car sales drop 30% in January – source

An employee works at the A3 and A4 production line of the German car manufacturer Audi, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ingolstadt, Germany, June 3, 2020. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert

HAMBURG (Reuters) – New passenger car registrations in Germany fell more than 30% in January to around 170,000 vehicles, an industry source told Reuters on Wednesday.

Car dealerships have been hit by a second lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic in Germany, with non-essential stores closed since mid-December, and by tax breaks for consumers running out at the end of 2020.

New car registrations in December had been up by almost 10%.

Car authority KBA is due to publish official sales figures later on Wednesday.

Reporting by Jan Schartz; Writing by Maria Sheahan, editing by Emma Thomasson

Go to Source