Czech car registrations dropped 36% in March as coronavirus spreads

Czech new passenger car registrations declined by 36% year-on-year to 13,685 in March as dealerships shut down because of the measures taken to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus, the Car Importers’ Association stated on Friday.

The drop put first-quarter sales at 50,194, dropping 15.8% from 59,616 a year earlier.

Volkswagen’s Skoda Auto led the market with 39.9% share in the first quarter, after its parent Volkswagen with 8.9%, Hyundai with 8.8% and Toyota with 4.2%.

The first detection of the virus in the Czech Republic emerged on March 1. About 4,475 people in the country have been confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus. The virus has killed 62 people in the country.