Only just under half of national and international car manufacturers dare to forecast the number of new registrations for 2010. Although an average of 3.33 million new vehicles have been registered every year since 2000, the respondents are very low for the current year and only mention 2.8 million units. This is the result of a survey conducted by the trade journal "kfz-betrieb".



The manufacturers thus agree with the statements of the German Association of the Motor Trade (ZDK), the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK).

Trend towards expensive or small

In December 2009, 4.8 percent fewer mid-range vehicles were registered compared to the same month last year. The voices of the manufacturers confirm that large shares of the overall market continue to shift into two segments: It is moving towards economical and compact small cars and back towards premium vehicles.



Manufacturers and importers also agree that they want to bring the fleet business back to 2008 levels with special campaigns.

The weak start in January with 181,189 new car registrations does not indicate a revival. The result is 4.3 percent below that of the same month last year and even 19.8 percent below the figures for January 2008.



A database with current new car registrations and an archive of previous years can be accessed at www.kfz-betrieb.de/neuzulassungen.



"kfz-betrieb" is the most widely read trade magazine in the automotive industry and has been informing the automotive trade and service sector for 99 years. "kfz-betrieb" is the official organ of the German Motor Trade (ZDK), the professional interest group for around 39,000 car dealerships and workshops. Daily news from the entire automotive industry is available at www.kfz-betrieb.de and in the daily newsletter. The parent company Vogel Business Media is one of the leading German providers of specialist information with around 100 trade journals and 60 websites as well as numerous international activities. Its headquarters are in Würzburg.