In light of the crisis taking place in the German automobile industry, the automobile trade is also suffering from sales losses. The Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced yesterday that in the period from January to September, dealer sales, after accounting for price variables, decreased by 1.3% on an annual basis. .
In contrast, car repair shops in Germany achieved an increase in sales by 2.5%, after accounting for price variables in the first nine months of this year.
The office’s statement said: “It is likely that one of the reasons for the increase in sales in car repair shops, and the decline in sales in the car trade, is the reluctance to buy new and used cars.” Moreover, the state stopped granting incentives for the purchase of electric cars in December 2023.
Whether in the car trade or in repair shops, sales from January to September remained slightly below their level before the Corona crisis in 2019, and in the period from January to October 2024, approximately 2.35 million new cars were registered in Germany, a decrease of 0.4% on an annual basis.
In addition, thousands of workers at “Volkswagen” carried out a strike yesterday, in the wake of an increasing dispute in the giant German car company, where thousands of jobs are at risk, and “Volkswagen” is greatly affected by the rise in manufacturing costs on its territory, in light of the faltering transition to electric vehicles and competition. High demand from China, which is a major market, and the company announced a plan to reduce costs by billions of dollars.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news
