IHS Markit Ltd. provided sales and production guidance for the year 2020 and 2021. Full year 2020 sales are expected to be down 15% from the levels achieved in 2019. IHS Markit remains cautious on recovery prospects, with key markets likely to experience differing demand cycles. Some markets face further fallout from the pandemic, not least due to additional virus-control restrictions for the winter months. On a brighter note, for an industry that had traditionally been dependent upon in-person showroom traffic since its inception, online sales and contactless delivery programs have been swiftly rolled out and are helping to offset the impact of restrictions on registrations. Global light vehicle production in 2020 is expected to finish at 74.1 million units, a 17% decline over 2019 levels. The company forecasts new light vehicle sales of 83.4 million globally in 2021, up 9% from a 2020 projection of 76.5 million, as industry demand levels emerge next year in the wake of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic – especially in major markets. The forecast assumes that effective vaccines will be widely available by mid-2021, although full availability is not expected until sometime in 2022. For 2021, IHS Markit forecasts a rebound in light vehicle production of 14%, to 84.3 million units, based on current analysis. This reflects continued recoveries, particularly in the major markets of China, Europe and North America. Manufacturing operations in most regions are largely restored and while COVID-19 secure practices will affect technical capacity, in most cases there is enough to support recovery.