LONDON -- British new-car sales slumped by around 97 percent in April to the lowest level of any month since February 1946 with factories and dealerships shut due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to preliminary data from an industry body.
About 4,000 cars were registered last month with most of the sales being business fleet purchases, according to preliminary data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
In February 1946, just a few months after the end of World War Two, just 4,044 new cars were sold in Britain, which was still undergoing rationing and trying to rebuild after wartime destruction.
The SMMT further downgraded its full-year forecast to 1.68 million registrations compared with last year's total of 2.31 million cars.
Lockdown measures have been in place across Europe since mid-March to contain the pandemic, leading to the closure of many businesses and limiting people's movements.
