2024 (Q1): new car sales worldwide increased in most major international markets except Japan with China by far the largest single-country market.
During the first quarter of 2024, all major global car markets worldwide expanded with the exception of Japan. China remained the largest and fastest-growing single-country car market in world. Car sales in India, Brazil, and Mexico increased by more than a tenth while sales in the USA and Europe were up nearly 5%. India was the only large car market with sales well above pre-pandemic levels during the first quarter of 2024.
Latest Worldwide Car Sales: 2024: (Q1, Half Year); 2023: (Q1, Half Year, Q3, Full Year); 2022; 2021; 2020
Car Sales Worldwide in Major Countries and Markets in 2024 (Q1)
Worldwide car sales in major countries and markets in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first three months of 2023 were as follows according to passenger vehicle registration data released by the VDA:
| Region | Q1/2024 | Q1/2023 | % 24/23 |
| Europe** | 3,395,000 | 3,236,000 | 4.9 |
| USA* | 3,743,500 | 3,563,300 | 5.1 |
| Mexico | 349,500 | – | 11.0 |
| Japan | 968,100 | 1,154,100 | -16.1 |
| Brazil* | 484,000 | 436,900 | 10.8 |
| India | 1,135,500 | 1,018,400 | 11.5 |
| China | 5,830,900 | 5,079,000 | 13.0 |
| *Light vehicles **(EU+EFTA+UK) | |||
| Source: VDA |
Except for Japan, all major global car markets expanded during the first quarter of 2024.
Worldwide Car Sales in the First Quarters of 2018 to 2023
Although most major car markets in the world recovered strongly during the first three months of 2023, light vehicle sales in most large countries remained below pre-2020 numbers:
| Region | Q1/2024 | Q1/2023 | Q1/2022 | Q1/2021 | Q1/2020 | Q1/2019 | Q1/2018 |
| Europe** | 3,395,000 | 3,236,000 | 2,753,300 | 3,080,000 | 3,054,700 | 4,146,200 | 4,282,100 |
| USA* | 3,743,500 | 3,563,300 | 3,281,200 | 3,869,900 | 3,476,500 | 4,008,200 | 4,093,100 |
| Mexico | 349,500 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Japan | 968,100 | 1,154,100 | 988,700 | 1,196,800 | 1,148,500 | 1,276,400 | 1,303,900 |
| Brazil* | 484,000 | 436,900 | 375,500 | 498,500 | 534,300 | 581,500 | 528,200 |
| India | 1,135,500 | 1,018,400 | 920,700 | 848,900 | 657,200 | 844,200 | 861,500 |
| China | 5,830,900 | 5,079,000 | 5,455,400 | 5,009,000 | 2,832,900 | 5,164,100 | 5,994,100 |
| *Light vehicles **(EU+EFTA+UK) | |||||||
| Source: VDA |
Except for India and China, all major car markets worldwide continued to have significantly weaker sales than before the global pandemic.
Europe: Stronger Car Sales in 2024 (Q1)
New passenger vehicle registrations in Europe (EU, UK, and EFTA) increased by 5% during the first quarter of 2024 to nearly 3.4 million cars. Car sales in Europe were still significantly below pre-pandemic levels. An early Easter might have influenced markets, which turned negative in March for only the second monthly downturn since January 2023.
The fastest-growing large European market was the UK where sales increased by 10%. However, of all the major European countries the British market is still the furthest behind pre-pandemic sales with new car registrations still a fifth below the first quarters of 2019 and 2018.
China: Largest Single-Country Car Market in 2024 (Q1)
China remained by far the largest single-country new car market in the world in the first quarter of 2024. According to the VDA, car sales in China increased by 13% during the first three months of 2024.
According to CAAM, new car sales and car production in China both exceeded 6.6 million vehicles during the first three months of 2024.
USA: Increase in Light Trucks and Car Sales in 2024 (Q1)
In the USA, light vehicle sales increased by 5% during the first quarter of 2024 and the total new market thus remained around 6% smaller than in early 2019. Sales of light trucks (including many SUVs and pickups) increased by 6% for a market share of 80%. In contrast, regular car sales increased by only 3%.
Brazil: Strong Car Sales in 2024 (Q1)
The Brazilian new light vehicle market grew by 10.8% to 484,000 vehicles during the first quarter of 2024. The total market remained 17% (or nearly 100,000 vehicles) below sales in 2019. In contrast to the USA, passenger cars had a 78% of the Brazilian new car market with only 22% being light duty.
Mexico: Increased Car Sales in 2024 (First Quarter)
The Mexican new car market expanded by a strong 11% during the first three months of 2024 to 349,500 vehicles.
Japan: Weaker Passenger Vehicle Registrations in 2024 (Q1)
Japan was the only major new car market globally with weaker car sales during the period of January, February, and March 2024. New passenger vehicle registrations in Japan contracted by 16% and failed to reach a million cars for the second time in three years. New car sales were nearly a quarter lower than pre-pandemic sales.
India: Continued Expansion in Car Sales in 2024 (Q1)
The Indian new car market continued to expand during the first quarter of 2024 with sales up nearly 12% to 1,135,500 vehicles. India was again the third largest car market in the world but remained far smaller than China and the USA. India was the only large new car market with sales higher than in pre-pandemic years.
Latest Worldwide Car Sales: 2024: (Q1, Half Year); 2023: (Q1, Half Year, Q3, Full Year); 2022; 2021; 2020
