Germany In June 2013: Down 4.7 Percent While Discounts Peak

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

In Germany, Europe’s largest car market, sales were down 4.7 percent in June. In the first six months of the year, sales in Germany were down 8.1 percent. Opel’s June sales were down 10.1 percent in Germany, Chevrolet’s sales plummeted 17.1 percent, but those of Ford rose 8.7 percent. Peugeot sales plummeted 26.5 percent.


Things are so bad in Europe that it is seen as a good omen when June sales are down a little less than in the previous months. Because the fall is not as steep as before, Reuters sees “signs of bottoming out.”

In Italy, June sales fell 5.5 percent on the year.

In Spain, June sales fell 0.7 percent.

In France, car registrations dropped 9 percent.

Quite possibly, the alleged bottoming out has another reason: Automakers all over Europe increased their rebates. The average discount stood at 12.6 percent in Germany in June, writes Auitomobilwoche. 26.5 percent of all sales in Germany were registered by automakers and car dealers, often just for a day.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Gentle Ted Gentle Ted on Jul 02, 2013

    Its the same in the UK, like what the person named kitzler stated, many employees get the Perks with the Job,

  • Michal1980 Michal1980 on Jul 02, 2013

    Why are dealers doing the following? "26.5 percent of all sales in Germany were registered by automakers and car dealers, often just for a day"

    • Th009 Th009 on Jul 02, 2013

      Incentives from the manufacturers. See the recent TTAC article about this practice in France ...

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