London (AFP)

"Customers come back, every day we sell several cars," says Nick Locke with a big smile. British dealerships have reopened in the UK after more than two months of containment, but the pandemic will leave its mark.

Nick Locke, manager of a Vauxhall dealership in north London, does not hide his relief from being able to reconnect with his customers and his staff, who were on short-time working.

"Reopening has been refreshing," he told AFP, amidst brand new cars among the most popular with the British.

"We have been busier than we thought" in recent days, whether in sales or after-sales services, he says, even if the concession has reduced the number of sales people for now.

Some customers inquire, others examine closely the model of an Astra of a brilliant blue, sign of a beginning of return to normal but with strict sanitary measures.

Masks and hydroalcoholic gel are placed at the entrance, windows have been installed in front of the sales offices and distancing is the rule.

"It will probably take four to six months to return to what we experienced before the pandemic," said Locke.

The British car market was almost wiped out in April and May, with plummets of around 90% of sales over a year, a shock never seen in generations.

- Devastating impact -

Containment has had a "devastating impact on the market" and "the reopening of dealerships this week is a key moment for the industry and the thousands of people it employs," said Mike Hawes, general manager of SMMT, l association of automotive professionals.

The year 2020 as a whole will be catastrophic for the sector, the SMMT forecasting a production of less than a million vehicles, less than in 2009, the year when the industry had taken the brunt of the financial crisis.

The shortfall is estimated at 400,000 cars over the year, or 12.5 billion pounds.

Vauxhall considers itself well placed since it manufactures inexpensive models, which could attract customers whose purchasing power has suffered from the pandemic.

The market as a whole hopes that Britons will choose to buy a vehicle to get to work, given the potential health risks of taking public transport.

However, he expects stiffer competition now, especially from online platforms, with possibly a price war as often after crises, especially in popular areas like the one where his concession is located.

But professionals would especially like a boost from the public authorities, beyond the emergency measures already put in place to cushion the economic shock.

According to the daily The Guardian, the sector is discussing with the government a possible scrapping bonus of a total amount of 1.5 billion pounds for petrol or diesel cars, by aligning the aid with that proposed for vehicles cleaner.

However, such measures would be out of line with London's stated objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

At the same time, companies in the sector have already benefited from numerous measures from the government such as short-time working or loans.

Japanese automakers Nissan and Toyota, for example, have received loans of £ 600m and £ 365m respectively, from government officials, according to figures released Thursday by the Bank of England.

The pandemic, it already does deep damage on the whole sector, which will have to adapt to lower demand.

The Lookers dealership chain has announced 1,500 job cuts and the closure of 12 stores, while luxury car maker Aston Martin will lay off 500 people.

© 2020 AFP