By Reuters Staff2 Min ReadSHANGHAI/BERLIN (Reuters) -Car gross sales in China and Europe stay depressed in comparison with final 12 months’s ranges as semiconductor shortages and anti-pandemic measures weigh on world autos markets, information confirmed on Thursday.FILE PHOTO: Cars drive on the street throughout the morning rush hour in Beijing, China, July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Jason LeeChinese retail automobile gross sales grew in May from April however have been nonetheless down 16% from final 12 months, based on the Chinese Passenger Car Association, which referred to as for extra authorities help for the trade.In Europe, information from auto consultancy JATO confirmed new automobile gross sales in Europe down 20%, with electrical car gross sales – usually extra resilient to produce chain troubles in latest months as automakers prioritised electrical automobile manufacturing – additionally down by 1.4%.Though battery-electric car gross sales have been up, the autumn was pushed by a 15% drop in gross sales of plug-in hybrid electrical autos, whose environmental credentials are coming underneath rising scrutiny from European regulators.Overall, automobile gross sales in China within the first quarter have been 0.2% greater than final 12 months, the Chinese information confirmed. By distinction, Europe’s year-to-date gross sales have been down 13% by JATO’s figures, at their second lowest degree since 1991.Still, additional financial information from China paints an image of a grinding and solely partial financial restoration from anti-pandemic measures.Road freight transportation and categorical supply from distribution centres final week have been each stronger than a month earlier however nonetheless down sharply on final 12 months, Nomura Global Economics mentioned.Chinese electrical car maker Xpeng is accelerating deliveries after resuming double-shift manufacturing in mid-May at its plant within the southern metropolis Zhaoqing, the chairman of the corporate, He Xiaopeng, instructed analysts this week.Tesla additionally added a second shift at its Shanghai plant on Thursday, heading in the direction of making 2,600 automobiles each day, based on an individual acquainted with the matter.Tesla didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Victoria Waldersee in Berlin; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Bradley Perrett and David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
China, Europe automobile gross sales dampened by chip scarcity, COVID measures
