The gap in the volumes of registered cars is widening compared to the pre-Covid phase and in April the number of new cars remained below the psychological threshold of 100 thousand units, “a level that in normal times is not reached only in August” as noted by the Promotor Study Center. Last month registrations were 97,339 with a decrease of 32.98% on April 2021 and of 44.4% on the same period of 2019. Disastrous also the balance of the first quarter with a collapse of 26.5% on the first quarter of 2021 and 38.9% over the same period of 2019.
Projecting the results of the first months of the year over the entire period – underlines Gian Primo Quagliano, head of the Promotor Study Center – we arrive at a forecast of 1.17,044 units, a level from the 1960s. of the new family of incentives commissioned by the Draghi government on a three-year basis is not yet fully operational and therefore the trend towards a contraction in volumes that began months ago has become increasingly worse.
The causes of the collapse
Among the causes that led to this disastrous situation, underlines the Centro Studi Promotor, there are the structural difficulties in the supply of electrical equipment to the supply chains, the market uncertainties linked to the pandemic and the repercussions of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine on the prices of materials. prime and contraction of GDP. The further worsening of supplies for the new lockdown in China is in recent weeks, a factor that could delay the return to normal for the production of microchips estimated and expected in the second half of this year.
Very few exceptions
All car manufacturers are in negative territory with very few exceptions such as Dr for the Stellantis Group, which doubles volumes in the month and triples them in the four-month period, and Dacia for the Renault Group, which has managed to maintain the plus sign since the beginning of the year. Honda also performed well over the month (+ 61%) and from the beginning of the year. For the rest, net of Tesla’s plus sign in April on very low volumes, no car brand is saved.
On the ground of market support, however, Quagliano points out, “errors, inefficiencies and intolerable delays are occurring”. In particular, a few months ago highly influential government officials announced the adoption of incentives to support car purchases. The immediate result was the postponement of purchasing decisions that were already mature for the simple reason that no one buys today at 100 what they think they can buy tomorrow at 95.