Italy April 2020: Coronavirus freezes market down -97.5% to smallest April volume since 1948, Renault Zoe #2

Italy was under a nationwide lockdown during all of April.

26/06 update: Now with Top 120 YTD models.

As we anticipated last week, the Italian new car market has ground to an almost complete halt in April as the country was under one of the world’s strictest COVID-19 lockdowns during the entire month. Sales are down -97.5% year-on-year to just 4.325 vs. 175.624 in April 2019. The year-to-date tally is now down -50.5% to 354.181 units. There are no recorded occurrence of a smaller monthly volume in Italy since 1960. Monthly data isn’t available before 1960, but based on annual volumes and the weight of each month at that time, our calculations indicate that this is the lowest Italian monthly sales volume in over 70 years, since December 1949 (3.400) and the lowest April volume in 72 years, since April 1948 (2.900). Dealerships are scheduled to reopen this week (ending May 8) so the worst is now over for the Italian market. UNRAE hasn’t amended its best-case scenario of 1.3 million annual sales for 2020 which now seems the most probable. It would still equate to a -32% year-on-year loss and the lowest annual tally since 1978 (1.1m).

The last time April volumes were lower in Italy, in 1948, the Fiat Topolino was ending its career.

Private sales are down -97.8% to 2.074 and 48% share vs. 54% in April 2019, rental sales fall -97.3% to 1.514 and 35% share vs. 32.4% a year ago including only 12 short-term rentals (-100%) and 1.407 leases (-94.9%) and company sales are off -96.9% to 737 and 17% share vs. 13.6% in April 2019. Year-to-date, private sales are down -52% to 197.550 and 55.8% share vs. 57.5% over the same period in 2019, rental sales dive -47% to 102.354 and 28.9% share vs. 27% a year ago, including 37.414 short-term rentals (-52.8%) and 58.527 leases (-41.9%). Company sales drop -51% to 54.277 and 15.3% share vs. 15.5% in 2019. Registrations of petrol vehicles are off -98.1% year-on-year to 1.522 and 35.2% share vs. 44.7% in April 2019, overtaken once again by diesel sales down -97.5% to 1.769 and 40.9% share vs. 40.5% a year ago. GPL is down -98.5% to 176, hybrids are down -97% to 281 and EVs are down just -58.1% to 500. Year-to-date, petrol is down -49% to 158.045 and 44.6% share vs. 44.3%, diesel down -69.3% to 122.375 and 34.6% vs. 43.1%, GPL down -55.4% to 21.198 and 6%, hybrids up 0.6% to 38.141 and 10.8% vs. 5.3% and EVs up 151% to 5.901 and 1.7% vs. 0.3%.

Jeep is the #4 brand in Italy in April, the Compass is #3 and the Renegade #4.

As it is also the case this month for France (-88.8%) and Spain (-96.5%), the brands and models ranking lose much of their significance with such low volumes. Fiat (-96.7%) leaps from a lowest-ever 9.9% share last month to 22.6% in April, its highest since March 2016 (24.3%). Peugeot (-95.3%) is up 5 spots to #2, Renault (-95.2%) up one to #3 and Jeep (-94%) up 8 to #4 and a record 9.2% share. Citroen (-96.7%) and Opel (-97.4%) are also up 8 ranks to #5 and #6 respectively, while Alfa Romeo (-93.4%) is up 17 to #8, its highest ranking since a pre-WLTP boosted 11th place in August 2018. Tesla (-50.2%) posts the best hold in market and slices its April ranking in two from #22 to an all-time record #11, DS (-83.4%) does the same from #34 to #17, with Lamborghini (-73.9%), DR Motor (-91.8%) and Subaru (-93.8%) the only additional brands losing less than 98% this month.

The Renault Zoe is a surprise #2 in Italy in April. Picture quattroruote.it

Despite this month’s market upheaval, the Fiat Panda (-96.6%) manages to easily hold onto the models top spot with 10.9% share, followed by a surprise: the Renault Zoe (-8%) up from outside the March Top 5 directly into 2nd place overall with 8.5% share. Jeep places the Compass (-92.1%) at #3 and the Renegade (-95.2%) at #4, a record, with the Fiat 500X (-95.6%) rounding out the Top 5. The Opel Corsa (-95.3%) is up 11 spots on last month to #6, the Peugeot 208 (-95.3%) up 17 to #7 and the Fiat Tipo (-97%) up 20 to #9. The Peugeot 3008 (-95.4%) scores a third ever Top 10 finish at #10, all achieved in 2020. The Tesla Model 3 (-40.9%) is up 10 ranks on March to a record #15, the Ford Puma (#18) remains by far the best-selling recent launch, while the Alfa Romeo Giulietta (#17), Citroen C5 Aircross (#21), Alfa Romeo Stelvio (#23), DS 7 Crossback (#29), Peugeot 5008 (#32), Abarth 595 (#49) and Peugeot Rifter (#50) make themselves noticed.

Previous post: Italy April 2020: Sales predicted to stall -97.5%

Previous month: Italy March 2020: Market collapses -85.4% to lowest monthly volume in 59 years, Kia up to #5, Mercedes #6

One year ago: Italy April 2019: Dacia Duster (+226.2%) first non-FCA SUV on podium in market back up 1.2%

Full April 2020 Top 45 All-brands and Top 50 models below.

Full January-April 2020 Top 120 models below.