Germany in August: Up, But Coming Down
Germany’s Abwrackprämien powered sales rocket is entering its terminal phase. In August, Germany’s drivers bought 28.4 percent more cars than in August 2008, says the ever so reliable Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (via Das Autohaus.) That is a tad less than July (+29.5 percent), and definitely not as hot as June’s +40.5 percent. After burning through €5B worth of Abwrack-fuel just as August had ended, the missile is on its way back to mother Earth. The crater it will create is expected to be spectacular.
For the first eight months of the year, Germany’s car sales are up 26.8 percent. The Abwrackprämien-Effekt will last through September, due to the fact that many cars in Germany are built to order, had been ordered while Berlin’s bourse was still bulging, and will be registered when delivered.
As the data provided by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt show, August sales in Germany still follow the seasonal pattern. With the withdrawal of the steroids, big minus signs are expected no later than October.
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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Oh great, does this mean I'll be inundated with even more emails from Benz asking me to come and test drive a B200? The last was an emailed coupon for an extra $250 off a purchase or lease and a free sandwich. Ok, I'm kidding about the sandwich, but not about setting up a Benz filter in Outlook.