New car sales in Estonia dropped by a quarter in March
The coronavirus crisis has dealt a significant blow to car dealerships with new car sales having decreased by 24.5 percent in March compared to the same period of 2019.
In March, 1,685 new cars were sold, 548 less than in March last year, The Estonian Vehicle Dealers and Services Association (AMTEL) announced. In the first three months of the year, 5,647 new cars were sold, 8.5 percent down on the sales results of the first quarter of 2019.
"Vehicle trade has a long cycle, it can take months to complete an order. By completing previous orders, new car sales managed to stay afloat during March, but obviously the restrictions imposed and the increased pressure on some economic secotrs will force to adjust our estimates," executive manager for AMTEL Arno Sillat told ERR.
"On the positive side, sales of electric cars have increased significantly compared to last year," Sillat added. 22 electric cars and 277 hybrids were sold in March.
The most popular makes were Toyota, Škoda and Renault with 334, 212 and 160 sales, respectively.
Sales of commercial vehicles dropped 29.8 percent in March, 18.7 percent less commercial vehicles were sold during the first quarter compared to last year.
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Editor: Anders Nõmm
