The shortages of chips did not do European car sales any good last year. According to the ACEA car industry association, sales of new passenger cars in the European Union last year were 2,4 percent below those of 2020, when the uncertainties surrounding corona already deterred potential car buyers. In total, 2021 million new passenger cars were registered in 9,7. The month of December was the sixth month in a row that registrations were below the level of a year earlier.

At the start of the year, the corona concerns seemed to be increasingly shaken off and sales rose. The turning point came in the summer. Due to the chip shortages, much fewer cars are being produced, which means that fewer cars came onto the market.

Of the major European economies, only in Germany were sales lower last year. In Europe's largest economy, car sales fell by 10 percent to 2,6 million cars sold. In France, Spain and Italy, sales did increase year on year. In the Netherlands there was a minus of more than 9 percent. Almost 323.000 new cars were registered here.

Car manufacturer Volkswagen, which also includes brands such as Skoda, Seat and Audi, remained market leader in the EU, although its market share fell slightly last year to more than a quarter. Stellantis, parent company of Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and Citroën, among others, accounted for almost 22 percent of the market and therefore the number two. Renault, which also sells Dacias, followed with a market share of 12,6 percent. Hyundai, which also markets the Kia brand, followed four. BMW, which also includes Mini, completed the top five.

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