New car sales were almost wiped out last month as the the number of registrations collapsed to their lowest level for 74 years.
The April total was down 97 per cent to around 4,000 as showrooms were forced to shut by the coronavirus lockdown, according to latest figures from industry body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
It was the lowest number of new car registrations in any month since February 1946 when Britain was still in the grip of post-war austerity and rationing.
Many of the deliveries were to company car fleets and the number of sales to private buyers is likely to have been measured only in the hundreds, levels not seen since the pioneering years of motoring.
Latest analysis from the SMMT forecasts as total of 1.68million registrations this year, down 27 per cent on 2019’s 2.3 million.
Ian Plummer, commercial director at website Auto Trader, said:“With retailers forced to close the doors to their physical forecourts, it’ll come as no surprise to anyone to see just how dramatic an impact it’s had on the new car market.
“Some brands have been able to sell remotely, but uncertainty in the government’s guidelines or a lack of the required infrastructure to operate home delivery in a safe way, has limited it to all but a handful of retailers.”