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Europe resists, the U.S.
market rebounds
In Europe, sales of new vehicles fared better
than expected, even as measures to support
the automotive industry – the so-called “cash
for clunkers”programs – had ceased to support
demand request since the end of 2010. The
German market grew strongly throughout the
year with growth of nearly 9% as compared to
the previous year. The French market, in turn,
limited its decline to 2.1%. Only the markets
of Southern Europe, much harder hit by the
economic crisis that affects in the euro area,
were marked by a sharp decline (-10.9% in Italy,
-17.7% in Spain). The U.S. market confirmed the
recovery that began in 2010, with a surge of
nearly 10% of vehicle sales. The Chinese market
has remained buoyant (+5%), despite the
cessation of government incentives for buyers
of small vehicles that had been implemented
by Beijing to support consumption.
Strong support from German
premium brands
German premium brands won some new
market share in 2011 against general brands,
more exposed to the slowdown in sales that
hit the small car segment. Volkswagen, which
shows the strongest increase among global
manufacturers, has seen sales increase by
7.8% in Europe, closely followed by BMW,
whose registrations are up 7.7%. Both drivers
and players of this growth, the two German
Majors have won market share in Europe, and
increased their penetration in both China and
the United States. Volkswagen and BMWhave
AUTOMOTIVE
LISI AUTOMOTIVE achieved
in 2011 the status
of leading provider of PSA
and strategic supplier to Daimler