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Showing posts from May, 2021

Coronavirus – USA: COVID-19 update (23 May 2021)

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Australians are buying new cars at almost the same rate as this time last year –  to pre-coronavirus levels  – as the industry remains hopeful the worst is behind it and there is a clear road ahead. Official sales figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show new-car sales in October 2020 were  down by just 1.5 percent  compared with the same month the previous year, with  81,220 vehicles reported as sold  versus 82,456 in October 2019. Four of the Top 10 brands  posted sales increases, as the industry grows optimistic about a market recovery. Despite the relatively strong performance, it was nevertheless the  31st month in a row of year-on-year decline  – the longest continuous slump since the Global Financial Crisis. It was the weakest October result in 10 years – since 2010 – but it was the  third-best monthly result  so far this year. Year-to-date, new-car sales are  down by 18.8 percent  compared to the first 10 months of 2019, with