2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
The German car market is paralyzed. After seven months, sales are almost seven percent below the previous year's figures. But the current Aral study gives cause for hope.
The auto industry is suffering massively from the sales crisis - and not just in Europe. According to figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the German car market fell by 6.7 percent to a total of 1.755 million vehicles in the first seven months. But there is cause for hope for manufacturers: according to the current Aral study, 26 percent of customers are planning to buy a car in the next one and a half years. This is one of the main results of the study by the petrol station market leader, which has been determining "car buying trends" for ten years.
VW's most popular brand, Opel is catching up
As Aral announced, this trend is being borne primarily by women, of whom 26 percent are now considering buying a car instead of the previous 23. In the case of men, however, interest has fallen slightly from 28 to 26 percent. However, not all plan to buy a new car. The search for used cars is increasing - here the share rose to eight percent.
When it comes to which brand customers are interested in, Europe's largest automaker, Volkswagen, has been at the top - and has been doing so since the beginning of the study in 2003. According to this, 18 percent of those surveyed are planning to buy a VW. With a gap of eight percentage points, Opel is well behind the Rüsselsheim-based company, but the GM subsidiary is catching up: Opel is up by one percentage point at ten percent. Ford is in third place with eight percent. When it comes to buying premium vehicles, Audi, Mercedes and BMW rank tied with seven percent each.
There is also bad news for importers. While two years ago 16 percent of those surveyed were interested in a vehicle made in Japan, it is now just nine percent.
When it comes to the body shape, there are clear changes: While the classic sedan has always been at the top of the buyer's favor since the beginning of the study, it is now the station wagon. While only 25 percent are interested in a sedan, 28 percent of those surveyed are interested in a station wagon. (AG / FM)
