Out of 575 survey participants in the U.S. who delayed purchasing a new vehicle during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, nearly half of the participants claimed that they would feel comfortable buying a vehicle from a dealership within 30 days of the restrictions being lifted. Only three percent of respondents said that they would wait at least six months after restrictions have been lifted. Restrictions in the U.S. Like many countries worldwide, measures to slow down and control the spread of COVID-19 on a national scale were implemented across several U.S. states. Such measures included the temporary closure of schools, bars, restaurants, and movie theaters, along with the cancellation or postponement of several large public events. While online activity in the U.S. has steadily increased during the pandemic, e-tailers in the automotive industry are predicting a decrease in sales: projected auto sales growth for 2020 in the U.S. are anticipated to be 26.6 percent below the level one year earlier. Post-lockdown behavior Respondents in this survey were also asked whether they would feel comfortable performing other activities after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. A total of 48 percent of respondents stated that they were comfortable buying a vehicle from a dealership within a month of restrictions being lifted, 67 percent claimed that they would feel comfortable returning to work, 51 percent would dine in at a restaurant, and only 22 percent would travel via airplane.

Nearly 250 thousand cars were not manufactured in Central and Eastern Europe due to the downtime caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The most significant losses in car production were suffered by Czechia, which, due to the production stoppage, did not produce nearly 84 thousand cars as of 30 March 2020.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

Respondents in the U.S. revealed various incentives behind purchasing vehicles in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in a survey conducted between April 25 and 27, 2020. The most common triggers included the number of cases declining, finding very attractive deals and offers, and governments starting to relax quarantine restrictions.

As of October 2020, North American auto demand was around 2.5 million units below 2019 levels. In terms of production in North America's largest market, output in the U.S. automotive industry was roughly 4,300 units in April 2020. U.S. plants reopened after a nine-week shutdown amid the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.

In early May of 2020, nine percent of respondents reported using car sharing at least weekly with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of respondents with the same opinion has since remained unchanged as per the fifth wave survey findings.

This graph shows the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the daily number of new car registrations in France during March 2020. During that month, daily registrations peaked at 6,403 new cars on March 10, before plummeting to around 300 daily registrations from March 14 onwards. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

In early May of 2020, 64 percent of respondents reported that they used private vehicles at least weekly with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of respondents with the same opinion has since increased, with 76 percent of respondents using their private vehicles as reported from the fifth wave survey findings.

In 2020, following the corona virus pandemic, the new forecasts for passenger car sales in Saudi Arabia was approximately 252 thousand units. The forecasts of passenger car sales for that year previous to the pandemic was about 387 thousand units.

In 2020, following the corona virus pandemic, the vehicle industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region had a decrease in its revenue from one time car sales of 23.9 percent compared to 2019. In that year, remote test drives were being introduced to encourage car sales.

In 2021, the year-on-year growth of the aftermarket revenue of light vehicles in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region post the COVID-19 pandemic was approximately four percent, with Bahrain leading the region. The cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of the industry in the region was expected to grow between 2021 and 2025 due to the development of the non-oil sectors in the region and the upcoming global events in the GCC such as the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar in 2022, Expo Dubai in 2021, and Saudi Vision 2030.

In 2022, the aftermarket revenue of light vehicles in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region was about 9.7 billion U.S. dollars. The aftermarket was expected to gradually recover from the pandemic reaching approximately 12 billion U.S. dollars by 2027.

As the e-commerce industry becomes a prominent platform for converting sales globally amid the Covid-19 pandemic, attitudes toward buying a car online remain considerably hesitant, according to a survey conducted by Capgemini in May 2020. Respondents from the UK, at 32 percent, proved less likely to buy their future cars online from an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or dealership, while respondents from India (44 percent) and China (49 percent) claimed they would buy their car online in the future. It is clear from these statistics that some reluctance toward purchasing cars online in the future still remains.

In 2020, over half of surveyed Hungarians' car purchasing plans were not affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, 20 percent of respondents wanted to postpone the planned purchase until buying the car was absolutely necessary.

COVID-19 redirected consumer intentions in the mobility sector. The effects are different across countries. In Germany and the United States, a slight drop in car purchase intentions as of August 2020 was recorded. In China, however, the change in consumers intending to purchase a new vehicle post-COVID rather than pre-COVID went up by seven percent. It is likely that the pandemic has put some people off public transport and are attracted to the personal space of an owned vehicle. Consumers who are now less likely to buy a new car may be put off for financial reasons. During national lockdowns in 2020, vehicle purchase plummeted. Economic standstill and lay-offs kept car sales low for the year overall.

In 2020, following the corona virus pandemic, the vehicle industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region had a revenue of about 19.1 billion U.S. dollars from the downstream services of one time car sales. Revenue from car sales in the region saw a 23.9 percent year on year decrease compared to 2019.

Nearly 250 thousand cars were not manufactured in Central and Eastern Europe due to the downtime caused by the coronavirus outbreak. As of 30th March 2020, nearly 136 thousand people working in the automotive factories in the CEE region were affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The source also states that the actual number of affected employees was much higher. This is due to delays in data transfer and the unavailability of full reports from production plants.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

The majority of respondents stated that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Romania did not affect their planned purchase of a car. However, ten percent of respondents decided to buy a lower class, cheaper car.

In July 2021, the South Korean auto industry saw a 12.3 percent increase in exports compared to the same period a year ago, when global automotive markets were badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Many overseas factories or partner companies of South Korean car manufacturers including Hyundai and Kia were struggling with normal operation and it led to the lowest record in automobile production and sales.

In 2019, the largest number of Polish respondents indicated cost cuts more significant than planned and reorganization of work within the company as a key action that companies expect to take within a year of pandemic completion. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

According to a survey conducted by dataSpring in South Korea in October 2020, a little over 24 percent of respondents reported an increase in their car's voice assistant (VA) features after the outbreak of COVID-19. The majority of respondents answered that their usage of VA did not significantly change during the pandemic.