Coronavirus slows Czech car output to six-year low in 2020

PRAGUE: Czech car production fell by 19.2% in 2020 to its lowest level since 2014 due to coronavirus shutdowns and weak export demand, the Automotive Industry Association (AutoSAP) said on Tuesday.

Shutdowns in the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis hammered output but the Czech Republic's three car plants came close to matching 2019 production in the second half of 2020.

This has bolstered industrial output figures in the country of 10.7 million people, where the car industry makes up about a tenth of economic output.

However, AutoSAP said deep uncertainty still remains regarding the pandemic and the economic outlook. The Czech economy is struggling to recover from a deep contraction.

Overall, the country produced 1.153 million vehicles in 2020, a fall of 274,662 compared to 2019.

Volkswagen's Skoda Auto, the country's biggest carmaker and exporter, saw production in its domestic plants drop 17.4% to 749,579 last year.

Hyundai Motor Co's Czech plant produced 238,750 cars last year, a drop of 22.9%.

TPCA, a joint venture between Peugeot and Toyota Motor Co. last year, but run solely by the Japanese group since Jan. 1, saw production drop 21.7% to 164,572.

TPCA said demand was higher in the last half of 2020 for the smaller models that it produces for both brands.