The registrations of cars and SUVs in the month of May decreased by 7.3% compared to the same period last year, to 125,625 units, with the same working days of 2018. Registrations recover again the downward trend, as they have been registering since September of last year, with the exception of last April, thanks to the boost of the renters prior to Holy Week. In the accumulated of the year, the deliveries of cars and SUVs fall by 5%, to 561,953 units.
Sales in the channel of individuals continue to fall, for the ninth month in a row, with a decrease of 11.2% and 54,485 units. Uncertainty continues to condition this channel, with no signs of recovery until the end of the year. In the first five months of the year, deliveries to individuals have fallen by 11%, to 245,037 units.
The channel of companies grows in the month of May with 37,086 units registered, which represents an increase of 3.6% over the same month of the previous year. They are the only channel, within the market of cars and SUVs, which manages to increase their sales compared to the same month of the previous year. On the other hand, in the channel of the alquiladores it undergoes a strong fall, 11% until the 34,054 units in May, disappeared the effect of Holy Week.
Light commercial vehicles
In May, 20,703 light commercial vehicles were registered. It represents a fall in sales of 0.1% compared to the same month last year. The light commercial vehicles have a year of ups and downs in the registrations, with pronounced peaks, but in the general calculation of the first five months, they register a growth of 4%, with 95,558 units.
Although the channel of companies practically quadruples in sales volume to the alquiladores, this channel is the one that more grows, with 6.4% in the month and 17.7% in the accumulated one, until the 16.239 units.
Industrial and buses
The registrations of industrial vehicles, buses, coaches and minibuses registered, after months of falls, an increase in the month of May of 16%, with 2,605 units. In the accumulated of the year, there are still recorded falls of 1.4%, to 11,558 units.
Noemi Navas, communication director of ANFAC, details that "the registrations of the month of May return to the descending path, as in the previous months. The exception of April corresponded to the seasonality for purchases of the renters in Holy Week, an effect that this month has already vanished. The private channel continues to fall, with the exception of the Basque Country, where sales in this channel have increased again due to the impact of its scrapping plan, which has recently been exhausted.
Individuals want to buy, but they need a sign of tranquility such as these stimuli to purchase, to help them make the decision or opt for a very old second-hand vehicle. Thus, vehicle sales of more than 20 years have risen almost 8% when they should be scrapped. We hope that, once the electoral processes have been crossed, we will enter into a long period of political stability that of confidence and certainty to consumers and help to push the demand for a new vehicle again. "
Raúl Morales, Communication Director of FACONAUTO, affirmed that "The bad behavior of the registrations continues impacted especially to the channel of individuals, that accumulates nine months of falls and that loses weight in front of the rest of channels of commercialization, when supposing barely 40% of all the sales. In the dealers we detect a retained demand of customers who do not specify their change of car due to the uncertainty they feel, as we have been warning. The proof that we are not facing a problem of economic conjuncture is that, on the contrary, companies are the ones that are maintaining the market: they continue to renew their fleets and are not afraid to opt for any available technology, including diesel.
We now start a key quarter for the activity of the concessionaires, which accumulate a good part of their annual sales in the summer months. We hope that reassuring messages will circulate so that, in the coming quarter, families who are delaying their purchase will decide to change their car. With these trends, we place the registrations in 1.2 million units for this year and also for the following one: bad news, because it means that the automobile fleet is not being renewed. "
Alberto Tapia, Communication Director of GANVAM, affirmed that "we continue in the negative trend and the first semester we will close it with negative data that will only be alleviated by the business channel, which again in the end of May tries to save a market that does not finish recovering. After a few months of uncertainty in the context of a period of general elections and also regional and local elections, we hope that in the coming months we will begin to see policies that propitiate stability to the sector, as well as confidence and security in consumers, so that the curve is reversed before the end of the year and improves the health of the market. "