Germany In June 2010: Down, But Not Out
In June 2010, new car sales in Germany were down 28.7 percent from June 2009, reports the German Kraftfahrtbundesamt, the German government agency that is responsible for all things rolling on Germany’s roads. That may sound like a horrible number, but the graph tells a different story. June 2009 was the absolute peak of the Abwrackprämien-orgy (red line), and Germany seems to slowly get back to 2008 levels (blue line.) Once we are through the seasonally low July/August months, sales may actually exceed 2008 levels. It won’t be until next year before Germany will report real growth.
In the first six months of 2010, Germans bought 1.47m cars, 28.7 percent below 2009, and 10.1 percent below 2008.
In the segment department, small cars the heroes of 2009, lost nearly 50 percent in the first six months. Large cars are on the rebound. No wonder that Dr. Z. is smiling.
As far as individual brands go – see yourself. The KBA provides exact statistics, based on registrations. For those whose German is a bit rusty, here the necessary translations:
Column 1 – Units sold June 2010
Column 2 – Market share June 2010
Column 3 – Change in percent compared to June 2009
Column 4 – Units sold first 6 months 2010
Column 5 – Market share first six months 2010
Column 6 – Change in percent compared to first six months 2009
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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