German car sales suffered another heavy setback in April, official figures published on Wednesday showed, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine added to the headwinds faced by the sector.

New registrations fell by 21.5 per cent year-on-year to just over 180,000 cars, the federal transport authority (KBA) said in a statement. It came after the same indicator slumped by 17.5 per cent in March.

Production also fell year-on-year, dropping by 13 per cent in April, according to the VDA car industry association.

Production also fell year-on-year, dropping by 13% in April- VDA car industry association

In all, the number of cars to roll off factory lines in Germany was down by 12 per cent over the first four months of the year.

Throughout 2021, car manufacturers battled persistent supply issues, which hampered production and saw sales drop.

With crucial components from Ukraine running short and Western sanctions against Moscow adding further pressure on already stressed supply chains, the outlook for the flagship industry has darkened further.

“Hard lockdowns in China” to contain the spread of the coronavirus added to the disruption faced by car manufacturers, EY analyst Peter Fuss said. “The current very difficult situation will last through the summer at least,” he said.

The VDA last month lowered its car production estimate for 2022, saying it now expected just seven per cent growth domestically this year, down from 13 per cent previously.

Meanwhile, the number of battery-powered cars sold declined by 6.9 per cent year-on-year, despite their market share climb to 12.3 per cent from 10.4 per cent.