New car sales fell to their lowest level in nearly three decades last year as coronavirus lockdowns crushed demand, according to industry figures.
Just 1.63 million vehicles were registered in 2020, the fewest since 1992, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed.
It was a 29% fall compared to the previous year – the biggest annual slump since 1943, a time when British industry was repurposed for the war effort.
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Can businesses survive another lockdown?
Last year the car sector was particularly badly hit in April, the first full month of national lockdown, when sales fell by 97%.
Showrooms gradually reopened in June.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “We lost nearly three quarters of a million units over three or four months, which we never got back.”
Dealerships were shut again in November and, though many were better prepared with click-and-collect options, they still saw a 27% decline.
Further lockdowns announced this week will add to the pressure and the SMMT again expects sales to be less than two million this year, having previously been above that level every year since 2012.
The sector has also been waiting for the outcome of trade talks between the UK and the European Union, its largest export market.
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