Germany In February: Karpokalypse Now
German car buyers boycotted the showrooms in February. Sales crashed to the tune of 29.8 percent. This according to the German car importers association VDIK via Das Autohaus [sub]. The number is not the official number (yet) but the VDIK is usually reliable. Only 195,000 new cars changed hands, compared to 278,000 in February last year.
Germany is in the vise grips of a huge hangover from the cash-for-clunkers Abwrackprämien-orgy of 2009. In February 2009, the program was launched, and sales started to take off by 21 percent. Sales reached a 40 percent apogee in June. Compared to these numbers, the coming months will look absolutely awful. Small cars and subminiature vehicles, the big gainers of the Abwrackprämie, crashed the most.
With only 195,000 units sold, Germany is way below February 2008 (228,630 units). Germany is back in carmageddon territory.
Martin Wissmann, head of the German auto manufacturer association VDA, predicts that German car sales in 2010 will be around 2.75m to 3m, compared to 3.8m in 2009. This would mean a drop of somewhere between 21 and 28 percent.
There is one bright spot: Germany’s car industry is quite export dependent, on the average, the country exports as many cars as it consumes at home. German exports have been growing for five straight months, and they bounced strongly in February: Exports are up 57 percent compared to February 2009. February 2009 wasn’t a good month for car sales. Except in Germany.
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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What was the weather like in February? Retailers here in the States say February's foul weather kept shoppers away.
"End result – the scheme robbed sales from the future – which will prolong the duration of 'Car-maggedon'." Yep. Sounds a little like the U.S. Federal Reserve (which is a private bank) scheme. We will loan you your currency right now... at interest. Then you have to pay us back in debt slavery LATER. And all the while they laugh at you openly with currency plastered with Illuminati symbols. VW, you got Porsche now... brace for impact!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dmPchuXIXQ If you have any interest in financial schemes or the affairs of the US Government you should probably watch that.
Was 2009 not an exceptional good year for car sales in Germany. IIRC 3.1 million is what they sell in an average year. So how does February 2010 compare to February 2008? Or is that not good for writing sensationalist headlines? Which i like.