For the first time in a decade, the caravanning industry has had to accept a decline in new registrations. 66,507 motorhomes were sold in 2022, 18.3 percent fewer than in the previous year. In the caravan segment, 24,478 units were newly registered, a decrease of one percent compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, this is the third best result in the history of caravanning in Germany. The reason given by the industry organization Caravanning Industrie Verband Deutschland (CIVD) is the ongoing supply bottlenecks for basic vehicles and a lack of staff in production.
The rush of visitors to the CMT in Stuttgart, the first tourism and caravanning trade fair of the year, shows that the resulting price increases and long delivery times are not deterring campers. Around 80,000 visitors thronged the exhibition halls next to Stuttgart Airport on the first weekend alone. CIVD Managing Director Daniel Onggowinarso is hopeful regarding the onslaught: “2022 was an extremely difficult year for manufacturers, suppliers and dealers, which was characterized by delivery bottlenecks and a lack of staff.
Rising energy and material prices have exacerbated the situation and presented companies with major problems. Our industry can be very fortunate that customers are remaining loyal to caravanning as a form of holiday despite the pandemic, inflation and general uncertainty. That’s why our industry is going into the new year with optimism.”
Association President Hermann Pfaff is no less confident regarding the current year: “Due to the many volatile factors, we are currently unable to make specific forecasts. The fact is, however, that motorhomes and caravans are still very much in vogue. In principle, we believe that the delivery situation will also improve over the course of this year. The companies can then process their numerous orders better and the waiting times for ordered vehicles will be shorter.”
Meanwhile, a look at the sales development shows that the manufacturers pass price increases on to the customers painlessly. Although fewer vehicles were sold, sales increased to a total of 14.03 billion euros, which is 0.5 percent more than in the previous year. New car production even increased by 0.7 percent to 7.5 billion euros. Sales in the used car trade also increased, rising slightly by 0.1 percent to 5.2 billion euros. The accessories business even recorded growth of 1.3 percent to 1.3 billion euros. (Michael Kirchberger, cen)
