Spain's February sales fell 38% in 'perfect storm'

Spanish new-car sales fell 38 percent to 58,279 in February, according to the ANFAC industry group. It was the second drop in a row, after sales tumbled 52 percent in January.

Demand continued to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic and by the end of Spain's scrapping program, Plan Renove, which expired in December.

A registration tax, which is applied for vehicles producing CO2 emissions above 120 grams per km, increased for many models on Jan. 1. The rise resulted from a reevaluation of CO2 levels for cars after emissions were converted from the NEDC test cycle to the more stringent WLTP procedure, which yields higher CO2 figures.

ANFAC said in a release that "a perfect storm is gathering over the Spanish auto industry."

Dealer association FACONAUTO said foot traffic in dealerships is down 50 percent from the same period of 2020."

Sales to private customers in January fell by 44 percent to 23,154 and company registrations (including self-registrations by automakers and dealers) were down 19 percent to 26,111. It is the first time since 1996 that sales to companies were higher than private demand, according to ANFAC.

Sales to rental companies dropped by 58 percent to 9,014, with coronavirus restrictions still limiting travel and business trips.

To try and boost sales, ANFAC asked the government to restart the scrapping scheme.

Sales of full-electric vehicles fell 42 percent in January for a 1.6 percent share, while plug-in hybrid vehicles grew by 78 percent with a 3.7 percent share. Sales of full-hybrid vehicles rose 10 percent, with a 22.6 percent market share.

Sales of gasoline-powered cars dropped 47 percent for a 48 percent market share, down 7.8 percentage points from January 2020. Registrations of diesels were down 49 percent for a 23.2 percent share, 6.8 percentage points lower than February 2020.

LPG-powered vehicles increased 48 percent.

Only some premium and low-volume brands were successful in increasing sales in February.

Tesla was up 33 percent, while SsangYong increased sale by 13 percent. Ferrari rose by 75 percent and Maserati was up 38 percent.

Stellantis Group's Peugeot brand was the most popular marque in February and had four of its models among the top ten. The 2008 small crossover was the most popular overall with a 26 percent increase in sales to 1,798. Opel sales were down 62 percent and Citroen was down 42 percent. Fiat brand registrations declined by 56 percent, with Alfa Romeo dropping by 42 percent. Jeep suffered a 7.1 percent decline.

Within the Volkswagen Group, Seat sales fell 43 percent and the VW brand suffered a 35 percent drop. Skoda posted a smaller than average decline, falling 8 percent, thanks to a 40 percent increase in sales of the small SUV Kamiq. Audi sales declined by 46 percent, while Porsche sales were down 35 percent.

Renault brand sales were down 40 percent for the month, while Dacia sales dropped by 34 percent.
Toyota sales suffered a 26 percent decline and Nissan was down 51 percent.

Hyundai sales fell 35 percent, while sibling brand Kia posted a 49 percent decline.

Ford was down 40 percent.

BMW sales fell 30 percent, while Mercedes-Benz dropped by 41 percent.

Through February, Spanish sales were down 45 percent to 100,242.