STA, 5 January 2020 - The sales of new cars in Slovenia dropped by more than a quarter in 2020 over 2019. Just under 53,700 cars were registered anew last year, a drop of 26.6% compared to the year before, data from the Chamber of Commerce show.
Volkswagen sold the most cars in Slovenia last year, 8,644, followed closely by Renault (8,391) and Škoda (5,577). The three car makers together hold a 42% market share.
In terms of car models, Renault Clio was by far the most popular (3,870), followed by Škoda Octavia (1,838) and Renault Captur (1,711).
The sales started lagging behind the 2019 figure already at the beginning of the year but then took a nosedive in March, as Slovenia imposed the first coronavirus lockdown.
Car salons closed in mid-March, with car sales dropping 62.5% year-on-year, while in April they remained closed the entire month and the sales plummeted by 71.4% to 1,846.
In May car salons were allowed to reopen and the number of cars sold jumped to over 5,000. The numbers started to drop again in autumn, as Slovenia went into lockdown once again.
The sales of vans dropped even more, by 28% compared to 2019. The makers Ford, Renault and Volkswagen remain the most popular among van buyers.
