Whether vehicle sales, company turnover or personnel deployment - the top 100 in the brand-based automotive trade have grown strongly everywhere in recent years. Comparing the respective figures from the "kfz-betrieb" special edition "Germany's major car dealers 2014" with the figures from 2019, the following growth picture emerges:
- Turnover: from 27.5 billion to 39.8 billion euros
- Employees (incl. trainees): from 62,400 to 81,700
- New car sales: from 601,000 to 712,000
- Used car sales: from 607,000 to 742,000
"This development is very pleasing for the Top 100. However, there is one fly in the ointment: the return on investment has not grown along with it. The main reason lies in the new car business model and the associated framework conditions: Very few new cars make any significant money. Discounts are still far too high, dealers sell at any price just so as not to jeopardize the manufacturer's financial bonus at the end of the year," says "kfz-betrieb" editor-in-chief Wolfgang Michel.
From Audi to Volvo: Germany's major car dealers are steadily increasing their new car sales and thus also their turnover. In terms of average returns, however, the majority of them are far from a three before the decimal point. Only a few are happy about a two, for the majority the decimal point is a one or even zero. At present, it does not look as if this will change for the better in the future.
Quite the opposite: electromobility will not improve the earnings situation, nor will dealer contracts, margin systems and standards. After all, new contracts have never had the primary goal of noticeably improving the earnings situation in retail. In order to improve their economic position, they need their own strategies.
Take the Best Group (Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda), for example: The company based in Mühlheim am Main merged with six regional car dealerships this year to form the new mega-dealer. The Best Auto family, as the group calls itself, will have sold around 25,000 new and used cars by the end of 2019. For everyone involved, the merger is a step towards securing the future. On the one hand, the Group is staking out its territory to the left and right by working together. On the other hand, as a large partner, there are also more opportunities to optimize cooperation with the manufacturers in terms of earnings.
Example Rhein Group (BMW/Mini): The Rhein car dealership group is growing by four dealerships in northern Bavaria in 2020. The dealer is taking over the two dealerships Herrnleben in Bayreuth and Degner in Hof, each with two locations including all employees, as of the new year. The takeover brings the number of dealerships belonging to the group to 25. The Rhein Group is active in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, employs around 1,200 people and sells 25,000 new and used cars every year.
For the thirteenth time, the trade journal "kfz-betrieb" is publishing the success strategies of Germany's major car dealers at the end of the year. The special edition is an industry navigator for sales and service in the German car trade and presents the who's who of the major players for new and used cars. The editorial team shows what makes the good car dealers successful, which companies are among the top 100, how the network structures of the manufacturers and importers are set up and which dealers are most successful with which brands.
Journalists can order a free reading copy of the reference book "Die großen Autohändler Deutschlands 2019", which will be published on 13.12.2019, from: pressestelle@vogel.de
"kfz-betrieb" is the most widely read trade magazine in the automotive industry and has been informing the automotive trade and service sector for over 100 years. "kfz-betrieb" is the official organ of the German automotive trade (ZDK), the professional interest group for around 38,000 car dealerships and workshops. News from the entire automotive industry can be found at www.kfz-betrieb.de and in the daily newsletter The parent company Vogel Communications Group is one of the leading service providers for B2B communication in the German-speaking world. Its headquarters are in Würzburg. With four agencies in Berlin, the Group offers comprehensive communications expertise. The Group's services range from specialist media, corporate publishing, social media services, PR, trade fair services, networks and communities to market intelligence & insights and an in-house congress center.
