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Low flights in car sales with -5.7% in the four months

By George Lampiris

The number of new passenger car registrations decreased during April 2022 by 8.8% compared to April last year, according to data from the Association of Car Dealers Importers. If one examines the car market in Greece on a four-month level, ie in the period from January to April 2022, one will also find that it is overall down by 5.7%, in new passenger cars based on the same data .

In essence, 9,297 new passenger cars were registered in April this year, up from 10,198 in the fourth month of 2021. In terms of new passenger registrations at the four-month level, this year their number rose to 31,724 cars, while last year during the corresponding period was 33,637.

Ismailos: Deliveries from 6 months up to 1 year depending on the model

As the managing director of A. Ismailos SA, Panagiotis Ismailos, reports to “K”, at the moment the delivery time of new cars has stabilized, while during 2021 the delivery time was indefinite most of the time. It is reminded that the company is an authorized distributor and repairman of Mercedes-Benz in Greece. “However, from then on there are differences in the arrival time of an order in Greece. This time depends on the country of production or the model of car produced. For example, there are cars that come to our country within 6 to 8 months and cars arriving within 12 to 14 months “.

Priority in deliveries of electric and premium vehicles

Regarding the models of Mercedes Benz, the A-Class, which is the smallest car in the range available to the automotive industry, Mr. Ismailos explains that it requires a delivery time of 6-7 months. The next car in the range, the GLA, needs a delivery period of 12 months. “Time is related to the equipment that each vehicle has and the availability that each factory has. At the same time, electric cars are a priority of the industry, which is why they are associated with faster order execution time. In addition, the premium cars of a “However, it should be noted that the biggest problem facing the market in the execution of orders continues to be associated with the lack of semiconductors (microchips)”.

The businessman says there was a decline in customer attendance at Ishmael’s fairs at the start of the war in Ukraine and for about three weeks thereafter. “Right now the demand has stabilized. Of the total customer visits to the fairs, about 25% of them end up in order.”

“In any case, my business represents a premium segment of the market. Therefore, there may be lower-income dealerships, which may experience a reduction in exhibition visits and, consequently, orders,” he added.

The most important element that is currently presented in the market, according to him, is that, despite the fact that deliveries are made over a period of more than 6 months, the public has adapted to the new data, planning the acquisition of a car based on this time frame for receipt.

Large number of unfulfilled orders

Regarding the market data, Theodoros Anagnostopoulos, CEO of Petros Petropoulos Group, states that there is a large amount of unfulfilled orders from the past, namely from the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. It is pointed out that Petros Petropoulos is exclusive importer of Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover in Greece.

“What we are seeing is that crossings have been reduced across all brands. However, for premium cars like ours – Land Rover, Range Rover and Jaguar – we think this picture is temporary.”

“Right now, and despite the delays in ordering, the factory continues to let us know that it is delivering normally. However, the war landscape remains unclear as many suppliers are affected by the delivery of raw materials. “We are afraid that the specific image may deteriorate, however so far nothing like this has happened”, adds Mr. Anagnostopoulos.

He in turn confirms that the larger models, but also those that have richer equipment, are put to delivery as a priority.

“In our brands we have not faced an issue regarding the reduction of orders. The picture, however, is different in brands that target the middle or lower incomes”, adds the CEO of Petros Petropoulos.

Sfakianaki Group: Declining brands aimed at middle incomes

Sources close to the Sfakianakis group point out that brands such as Suzuki have lower rankings compared to last year, while the picture is similar for both Fiat and Opel, which target middle-income earners. In particular, Suzuki has lost a share compared to last year, as is the case with Opel. On the other hand, the Sfakianaki group is increasing its market share in premium brands such as BMW, Volvo and Mini.

Source: Capital

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