Exports remain weak — Production still being scaled back
VDA: Commercial Vehicle Sales in Germany Continue to Decline
The sales of commercial vehicles in Germany continued to decline noticeably in April. A total of 21,500 new commercial vehicles were registered, a decrease of 32 percent. In April van sales and domestic sales of heavy-duty vehicles fell by around one third respectively compared to the same month last year.
Domestic orders were down 17 per cent compared to the level achieved in April 2008. After adjusting for seasonal factors, however, domestic orders increased by 14 percent in the over 6 tons GVW class compared to the previous month's total. Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), commented: "The number of incoming orders gives us reason to hope that we may have attained a certain degree of stability. While orders for heavy-duty vehicles, which are down 35 percent, continue to be down substantially compared to last year, in the last four months the declines have been steadily decreasing, and they are even half of what they were in January. Although it is too early to say the worst is over, we seem to be seeing initial signs that the downturn is stabilizing." Nevertheless, according to Wissmann, in their decision-making the politicians also should examine the option of using short-term measures that would "generate targeted momentum for the entire economy and thereby help achieve a fast recovery from the financial crisis."
In comparison to Germany, the foreign markets are still completely in the grips of the global recession. Exports of vans (-73 percent) and heavy-duty trucks (-83 percent) fell again significantly in April. Incoming orders from abroad rose by 6 percent compared to the results of the previous month, when adjusted for seasonal effects. Compared to the very high volume of orders recorded in the same month last year, however, the numbers are down significantly.
German manufacturers of commercial vehicle also scaled back production in April. In all, automakers produced 69 percent less vans and 80 percent less heavy-duty vehicles in Germany. Orders for vans from German automakers were up slightly compared to the previous month, however, while the vehicle class over 6 tons GVW at least did not suffer a further decline. Wissmann emphasized that "the environmental bonus is also having an effect on the light vans market. In terms of heavy-duty commercial vehicles the downward trend should now also ease off. This means production also could begin to rebound in the next few months."
