A long line of unsold 2021 Equinox sports-utility vehicles sits at a Chevrolet Buick GMC Truck dealership Feb. 7, 2021, in Castle Rock, Colo.
The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on light vehicle sales was neither as deep nor as protracted as the Great Recession of 2009, although demand plunged 14% worldwide and 16% in the United States.
Sales are rising once again but aren’t forecast to return to pre-pandemic levels. Nevertheless, the nascent recovery is being weakened by a shortage of semiconductors.
