Export markets continue to recover

The export markets continued to recover in December. At approximately 277,000 units, exports of passenger cars were 23 percent higher in December than in the same month of 2008. The increase amounted to 15 percent for the entire fourth quarter of 2009. However, exports declined by 17 percent during the year as a whole, to slightly more than 3.4 million units. Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), said: "The upswing on the export markets is thus perpetuating itself, and we expect this development to continue in the coming months. It will stabilize and strengthen production in Germany because three of every four cars made here are shipped abroad.”

Incoming orders form foreign customers noticeably increased in December as well (+26 percent). The upswing that commenced in August 2009 is thus continuing at an accelerated pace. The total number of orders from abroad increased by 16 percent during the last five months of 2009, compared to the same period of the previous year.
As expected, more than 3.8 million new vehicle registrations were recorded in Germany in full-year 2009 (+23 percent). At 215,400 units, sales were down by 5 percent in Germany in December, however. Incoming orders on the German market remained nearly unchanged from the previous year’s level (-1 percent). During the year as a whole, however, German manufacturers were able to increase incoming orders on the domestic market by a total of 16 percent.

The German plants continued to raise production output substantially in December. At approximately 347,000 units, passenger car production was up 24 percent from the total posted in the same month in 2008. As a result, production output at the German plants has risen by a total of 11 percent since September. Due to weak demand in the first half of the year, however, total production output was down by 10 percent in full-year 2009, to slightly below 5 million vehicles.
 

Source: Transportweekly