Not a good year but at least the situation did not worsen. This dealers People from Alicante made it avoid falling sales It was registered nationwide and managed to close with a slight improvement thanks to even higher. The acceleration of the provincial economy with the revival of tourism. Above all, an improvement was noted in the coastal areas most affected by the cessation of registrations caused by the pandemic, and then prolonged due to the lack of supplies suffered by the producers.
In this way, while at national level closed with last year 5.4% decline up to 813,396 units in passenger car and SUV sales; the dealers in the province managed to save by counting the furniture 31,886 transactions. still an approximate figure Half of what was usual in Alicante before the pandemicbut what does that mean A small improvement of 0.7% after two consecutive years of decline, according to data provided by industry employers Anfac, Faconauto and Ganvam.
Data becomes more relevant given that improvement comes through: company acquisitions to 9,576 operations with an increase of 28.2% in its fleet including rental; and especially due to the increase special purchases16,801 transactions were up 8.6%. Evidence of the intense economic recovery in the region this year.
In contrast, the records of self-driving car rental companies – known as rent a car-, down 36.8% to 5,509, far away from the weight they traditionally held in the region where these operators make up almost half of the market.
It is not because there is no demand from these companies, but it is a completely changing situation. The problem is, due to shortage of supply and limited production that most manufacturers currently have, most brands are drifting vehicles leaving their factories to the private sector and leasing, which leaves them with a higher margin than the big leasing companies that market big discounts for big orders.
tourism
From the employers’ association of Faconauto dealers, they do not hesitate to attribute the better situation recorded in Alicante to the following impulse: view Economic activities and other touristic areas in the region, for example Canary Islands, Balearic Islands or Malaga also closed last year with positive figures..
Businesses in the region also confirm this. “The demand of individuals goes closely linked to the economic situation The owner of the Ford dealership in Benidorm (Autonáutica) has obviously improved significantly”, states, Guinea PerezCharacterizing the exercise as “acceptable”.
In any case, this does not mean that businessmen in the industry are satisfied with the situation, he points out: problems continue dragged along for two years, despite having learned to live with them. Specifically, still delays exceeding six months On the delivery of new vehicles, provided that the customer does not accept any of the several vehicles available at the time.
Electric car
To all of the above, Pérez also adds: Doubts that the electrical transition continues to produce for many customers, “it delays some purchasing decisions because customers still don’t see it clearly, especially due to the lack of charging points.” In any case, the owner of Autonáutica believes that in 2023 the number of registrations will increase. request stopped and in particular, due to the need for many drivers to replace increasingly aging vehicles.
Other concessionaires in the region also believe that the Convention will enter into force. new regulations What will limit traffic to the most polluting vehicles In cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, there will be another incentive for increased sales. Antonia SoloFrom the KIA dealer in Benidorm.
Meanwhile, most dealers significantly offset the decline in sales revenues. increase in workload after-sales services, that is workshopsAs Sola admits.
In any case, the numbers make it clear: The mentality change has already begun.. Thus, the market share of automobiles diesel – once the best selling motor vehicle – added only 12.46% of registrations in the state last year. cars gasoline remains like kings with 53% of the total, but hybrid, electric and gas vehicles already account for 34.47% of sales in Alicante.
KIA and Hyundai are the market leaders in the province
According to data from Anfac, Faconauto and Ganvam, with 4,645 units last year, KIA was the automobile brand with the highest registration volume in the state. Figures that only manage to come close to another Korean manufacturer, Hyundai, with 3,649 units sold. Quite a distance are Citroën and Peugeot, each with a total of 2,484 vehicles. In fifth place is Toyota with 1,916 vehicles sold; it was followed by Dacia in 1785; Opel with 1.631; Renault with 1,491; and Volkswagen, with 1,337. A classification that shows the biggest supply problems European manufacturers have had in chips and other materials since the end of the restrictions that had comfortably driven the market before the pandemic, compared to Koreans and Japanese who own more of these components. having their own suppliers in their own country and not being dependent on China. In this period, the shortage of supplies was added to the transportation problem for the transportation of the finished vehicles.