April European car sales see worst drop since records began

MILAN (AP) — European car sales bottomed out in April as the automotive industry faces the worst crisis in decades. Strict lockdown measures to contain the coronavirus closed most dealerships across the continent for the full month of April, amid a precipitous drop in consumer spending, causing sales to collapse by an unprecedented 76%. The ACEA car manufacturers’ association said Tuesday that carmakers across the continent sold just 270,682 vehicles last month, compared with 1.14 million a year earlier. That is the ‘’strongest monthly drop in car demand since records began,’’ ACEA said.