Domestic commercial vehicle market continues expanding
Exports support production
Berlin, 7 June 2010. The German commercial vehicle market continued its recovery in the month of May. A total of 22,300 units were registered last month, 12 per cent more commercial vehicles than in May last year. This means that the German domestic commercial vehicle market has now been improving for three months in succession. The trend for vans has been positive for some time, but in May in the class over 6 t showed growth again on the domestic market (+7 per cent) for the first time in 20 months (since September 2008). Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), underscored, "Even if the level is still very low, we regard this as an encouraging sign of an upturn in this sector – especially as it comes in the year of the IAA Commercial Vehicles.” Since the beginning of this year the total number of new commercial vehicle registrations has risen by 4 per cent. An increase of 11 per cent was recorded for vans in the first five months.
That business in the class over 6 t is improving markedly is also demonstrated by domestic incoming orders. In May they were nearly two thirds up (+64 per cent) on the very weak figures from the previous year. Orders in the van segment, on the other hand, fell by 10 per cent due to the special effects of last year, so overall domestic orders in May equaled the previous year’s level. In the first five months of the year 49 per cent more heavy commercial vehicles were ordered by customers in Germany than in the same period last year.
Exports by the German commercial vehicle manufacturers also showed marked gains in the month of May. A total of 19,000 units were exported, a rise of 63 per cent, and so growth since the beginning of the year is now at 52 per cent. Wissmann stressed, "Our manufacturers are in a very good international position and benefit from the increasing demand on many important markets. It is true that we still have a considerable way to go to get back to the level before the crisis, but the export dynamics are proving to be stable.” Orders from foreign customers indicate a similar trend: incoming orders from abroad were up by 52 per cent, once again showing clear growth over and above last year’s level.
The German commercial vehicle manufacturers have pushed up their domestic production accordingly. In total, the companies produced 27,600 units in May, which was an increase of 54 per cent. "Our companies are regaining confidence,” Wissmann emphasized. This year so far, 128,900 commercial vehicles have been built, which represents growth of 38 per cent.
