FRANKFURT (MNI) – The number of new cars registered in Germany this
year will be “significantly” below forecasts a year ago, the carmaker
association VDIK reported Thursday.
For 2012 as a whole, 3.08 million new passenger cars are expected
to be registered, the association said. “The favorable consumer climate,
the improving situation in the labour market, higher incomes and low
inflation could not motivate Germans to purchase more new cars.”
Overcoming the European debt crisis will be decisive for a positive
economic trend next year and for demand for new cars, said VDIK
President Volker Lange.
“If a stabilisation can be achieved and the existing consumption
appetite carries over to the car market, then the VDIK sees the
possibility that new car registrations in 2013 can climb above 3 million
or even reach the 2012 result,” Lange said.
Earlier this week, automobile association VDA reported that 2.88
million cars had been registered between January and November, 2% fewer
than the same period one year ago.
While a GfK survey noted consumers’ ongoing preference for
big-ticket items over putting their money in a bank, a recent European
Commission poll showed households’ intention to buy a car over the next
year falling in November.
The situation in western Europe “remains difficult”, said VDA
President Matthias Wissmann said, citing projections that the car market
there would decline by 9% this year to 11.7 million units. “That’s over
a million cars less than a year ago,” he said.
Volkswagen chief sales officer Christian Klingler had also
highlighted the obstacles in western Europe, noting that the region was
“”still characterized by uncertainty”.
— Frankfurt bureau: +49 69 720 142; email: twailoo@mni-news.com —
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