The number of new registrations for passenger cars and vans remained low in November. Among the reasons for this are the COVID-19 crisis and the semiconductor shortage.
The latter factor, in particular, continues to hit the German passenger car market hard. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, new registrations fell by a good 31 percent compared to the same month last year. Sales in the key private sector, in particular, continued to plummet. According to market research firm Dataforce, new registrations in this segment dropped by 33.4 percent compared to the previous year.
High sales in the previous year put the decline into perspective
However, the published figures need to be put into perspective. While the number of new registrations did decline compared to 2020, last year’s figure of 115,000 units was unusually high. In previous years, the average was between 90,000 and 95,000 units.
The registration rate is being further driven down by a decline in dealer registrations. These fell by a whopping 37 percent in November, thereby drastically reducing the supply of cars with one-day registrations and recent used cars.
However, the shortage of semiconductors is particularly acute in the commercial sector. Shipments to these customer groups fell by nearly 30 percent, and car rental companies received about 29 percent fewer vehicles.
Sales of vans also saw a significant decline. Total deliveries fell by 35 percent. Sales to commercial customers dropped by about 29 percent. According to Dataforce, this trend is expected to continue into December.
The electric vehicle sector continues to gain ground
Unsurprisingly, sales of newly registered battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are bucking the general trend. Compared to November 2020, sales rose by 39 percent. According to Dataforce, it is particularly noteworthy that, in the private sector, BEVs and PHEVs together reached a market share of 40 percent for the first time.
