Car sales in Europe fell in January as regional auto manufacturers struggled to get key components, including semiconductor chips, owing to supply chain issues, according to a recent report by an industry lobbying association. “In January 2022, EU passenger car registrations continued to fall, with the ongoing semiconductor shortage still negatively affecting car sales across the region,” said the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (EAMA) report (pdf). “Even though a new record for lowest January total (in terms of volume) was set in 2021, this year car registrations contracted by a further 6.0 percent to reach 682,596 units–marking a new historic low in EU car sales for the first month of the year.” However, there was a marked divide between Central and Western Europe, with the former seeing a spike in car registrations while the latter reporting a decline. In Central Europe, Slovakia reported a 72.6 percent growth in car registrations, …