Spanish sales rise 128% in March, but lag pre-coronavirus levels

Spanish new-car registrations grew by 128 percent in March compared with the same month last year, when dealers were partly closed under coronavirus lockdowns, but sales were still down sharply from 2019.

There were 85,819 sales in March, according to the ANFAC industry group, compared with 37,643 in March 2020. However, that total is 30 percent below March 2019.

Brands with a particularly strong month included VW Group’s Skoda, up 357 percent; and three Stellantis brands: Peugeot was up 321 percent, Citroen sales rose 260 percent and Opel was up 252 percent. 

For the first three months of the year, there were 186,061 sales, a 15 percent decline over 2020, ANFAC said.

The trade group said in a release that the strength of any recovery this year depends on a revival of tourism and renewed consumer confidence -- with both tied to how quickly the COVID-19 vaccination campaign progresses. ANFAC cut its forecast of 2021 sales to 925,000 units, a figure 26 percent lower than 2019.
 
Demand also continued to be hit by the end of Spain's scrapping program, Plan Renove, which expired in December. At the same time, a registration tax applied for vehicles with CO2 emissions of more than 120 grams per km increased for many models on Jan. 1, as emissions values for each car were converted from the NEDC test cycle to the more stringent WLTP procedure, which yields higher CO2 figures.

Sales to private customers in March rose 101 percent; company registrations (including self-registrations by automakers and dealers) jumped by 153 percent; and sales to rental companies were up 145 percent, ANFAC said.

Most brands posted triple-digit increases from March 2020. 

Among volume automakers, only VW Group’s Spanish brand, Seat, had a muted performance, with 1.9 percent growth. Sales of the compact Leon and small Ibiza both declined from 2020; the Leon suffered from production cuts announced in December due to a shortage of microchips.

Peugeot was the best-selling brand in March; the 208 small hatchback was the most popular model overall, with a 619 percent increase in sales to 2,898. Stellantis had six of its nameplates among the top 10; the Fiat 500 jumped to fourth place with 2,221 units sold, with its mild hybrid version the most popular among non-rechargeable hybrids.

Fiat brand registrations posted 202 percent growth, with Alfa Romeo rising by 49 percent. Jeep sales rose 229 percent.

Within VW Group, Skoda’s growth was driven by a 644 percent increase in sales of the Kamiq small SUV. VW brand sales increased by 89 percent; Audi sales grew 207 percent and Porsche posted 88 percent growth.

Renault brand sales were up 67 percent for the month, while Dacia sales grew by 126 percent. Ford was up 223 percent.

BMW posted a 182 percent growth, while Mercedes-Benz increased sales by 101 percent.

Among Asian brands, Toyota increased sales by 78 percent and Nissan was up 102 percent. Hyundai sales rose 119 percent, while sibling brand Kia posted a 90 percent growth.

Sales of full-electric vehicles rose 174 percent in March for a 2.4 percent share, compared with a 2 percent share in 2020, while plug-in hybrid vehicles grew by 465 percent with a 4.1 percent share, up from 1.7 percent last year. Sales of full-hybrid vehicles rose 226 percent for a 22 percent market share, versus a 15 percent share in March 2020. 

Sales of gasoline-powered cars were up 101 percent for a 48.7 percent market share, down 6.5 percentage points from March 2020. Diesel cars had a 21.7 percent share, 3.1 percentage points lower than March 2020.

LPG-powered vehicles posted 404 percent growth, for a 1 percent market share.