Domestic market for commercial vehicles revives – Robust growth in new orders received
Foreign markets continue on recovery course
Berlin, 7. Mai 2010. The domestic commercial vehicle market also increased in April. With about 23,700 new vehicle registrations, the previous year’s level was bettered by more than 10 percent. That means that since the beginning of the year, sales of commercial vehicles increased by more than 2 percent in Germany. There was also a very dynamic development in the domestic market for vans: In April with more than 17,400 units, the previous year’s level was topped by 19 percent, giving a rate of growth of 10 percent in the first four months of 2010. In contrast with heavy trucks (over 6 t) in April a decline of 8 percent was registered, which however was substantially less than the drop a year ago .
Above all, the domestic new orders received are bolstering the recovery perspective of the German market: Especially in the heavy vehicle segment (over 6 t), domestic new orders received showed renewed signs of life. In April the orders received in this class grew by more than a third, while incoming orders since January were 45 percent more than the previous year’s level. "However these high rates of growth should not be overemphasized. They must be seen against the backdrop of the very weak level the year before. The commercial vehicle branch still has a rocky road to travel. But the perspectives have opened up considerably", stressed Matthias Wissmann, president of the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA).
The foreign markets continued their recovery course in April. At a volume of 17,200 commercial vehicles, 79 percent more vehicles were exported than in April a year ago. Since the beginning of the year exports have climbed by almost half (+48 percent) to about 68,600 units. "The German commercial vehicle industry is profiting from the general economic recovery. But we are still a long way from the level which we had reached two years ago: At more than 134,000 units in the first four months of 2008 almost twice as many vehicle were sold than in the same quarter in 2010. But things are moving now", Wissmann emphasized. A noticeable export revival is also expected in the coming months. The foreign orders received in April were again almost 60 percent more than the previous year’s level.
In the course of the export revival and improving perspectives for the domestic market the German firms have increased their production again, this time by 78 percent, to more than 27,000 commercial vehicles. Since the beginning of the year commercial vehicle production has climbed by more than a third (+34 percent) to just under 101,000 units.
