Friday, January 8th, 2021
Decrease by a fifth
Car market collapses in pandemic year
In the past year, many have avoided car dealerships. As a result, sales plummeted more sharply than in ten years. It may take some time before the pre-corona level is reached.
In 2020, fewer new cars were registered nationwide than in ten years. With 2.92 million new registrations, the German car market shrank by a good 19 percent in the Corona crisis, according to figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. The last time sales fell more sharply in 2010. After a boom as a result of the scrappage bonus, they also fell to just under 2.92 million.
A good every fifth new car belonged to the SUV segment in the past year. In view of the accommodation restrictions, mobile homes were able to increase. The slump in sales is economically difficult for the industry, said Hildegard Müller, President of the Association of the Automotive Industry. "We expect the German car market to recover in 2021. Nevertheless, the very strong pre-Corona level will not be reached for the time being."
December brought good numbers. 311,394 new registrations in the month corresponded to an increase of about ten percent compared to the previous year. "Many private customers bought a car at the end of the year in order to benefit from the VAT cut," explained Reinhard Zirpel, President of the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers.
For the year as a whole, however, almost all major manufacturers, with the exception of the electric car maker Tesla and the Italian car brand Fiat, posted a decline in sales. The biggest losers were Opel and Ford, each with a minus of more than 30 percent. Market leader VW sold around a fifth less of its vehicles than in the previous year.
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