According to the data released by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), the global production of passenger cars in the first quarter of 2009 declined by 33.5 percent, light commercial vehicle production dropped by 43.4 percent, truck production declined by 39.8 percent and bus production decreased by 31 percent, all compared to the same period of the previous year.
In the period in question, the highest yearly decrease in motor vehicle production was recorded in Ukraine with a 83.6 percent drop, followed by Austria with a 69.2 percent decrease, Sweden with 65.8 percent and Russia with 64.8 percent, all compared to Q1 2008.
In the first three months of the year, only Venezuela and China saw an increase in motor vehicle production, by 2.4 percent and 1.9 percent respectively, compared to the same quarter of 2008.
In the first quarter of the current year, motor vehicle production fell by 37.8 percent in European Union member states (EU-27), by 51.4 percent in NAFTA countries, by 49.4 percent in Japan and by 31.9 percent in South Korea, all compared to Q1 2008.