VDA adjusts expectations for domestic production and exports
in VDA, 02-11-2018
In October the switch to the new test procedure WLTP (Worldwide Light Vehicle Test Procedure) continued to impact on the German passenger car market. It totaled 252,600 new registrations, which was 7 percent below last year’s level. October last year had two working days less. So far this year just over 2.9 million passenger cars have been newly registered in Germany – a rise of 1 percent.
October’s incoming orders from Germany were 8 percent down on last year’s level. Year-to-date domestic orders have lost 2 percent. Orders arriving from abroad showed a similar development, recording a fall of 13 percent in October, while foreign orders during the first ten months of 2018 narrowly failed to equal last year’s figure (-1 percent).
The distortions due to WLTP were also felt in passenger car production. A total of 442,500 units were built. This represents a 3 percent year-on-year increase, but it should be remembered that October had two more working days this year. Since January, around 4.4 million brand new passenger cars have rolled off the production lines (-7 percent). Exports showed a similar trend, with the German OEMs exporting 328,100 units (+1 percent) in October. In the first ten months of this year exports amounted to 3.4 million units, which was a decrease of 7 percent compared to 2017.
Given the developments in passenger car production in the wake of the switch to WLTP, the VDA expects domestic car production during 2018 as a whole to come to nearly 5.3 million units (-7 percent) and exports to reach 4.1 million units (-6 percent).