European new-car sales surged 63 percent in March, recovering from the collapse a year ago when coronavirus lockdowns hit sales, even as virus-related restrictions persist in key markets.
Registrations in the EU, EFTA and UK markets rose to 1.39 million year-on-year, data from industry association ACEA showed on Friday.
The gains erased an early-year decline to leave sales up 0.9 percent to 3.08 million for the quarter.
Registrations at Volkswagen Group, Europe's top-selling automaker, increased 46 percent, while No. 2 Stellantis saw its sales jump 141 percent. Registrations at No. 3, Renault Group, rose 70 percent.
While automakers are benefiting from easy comparisons to a year ago, when countries were locking down to contain the spread of COVID-19, last month's sales stack up well even relative to pre-pandemic. The figure of 1.39 million vehicles registered was the highest since June 2019.
However, March tends to be a seasonally strong time of year for Europe’s auto industry, so registrations were still about 13 percent below what the industry averaged for the month in the decade before the pandemic, according to ACEA.
The March sales figures are a welcome development for the industry after months of Europe's car market lagging behind the recoveries seen in China and the U.S.
Automakers have been coping with restrictions by moving sales processes online and taking advantage of government subsidies for electric vehicles. Economic forecasters have said the continent's growth prospects rest on a vaccination program that started slowly but has begun to accelerate.
The industry witnessed historic consolidation during the quarter, with PSA Group merging with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis.
