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Production of the VW ID 3 in Saxony
: German automakers' export expectations have fallen, business abroad is stalling
Photo: STAR-MEDIA / imago images / STAR-MEDIA
According to the Ifo Institute, the situation in the German auto industry, which is plagued by stubborn delivery bottlenecks, has already darkened for the fifth month in a row in December.
The corresponding indicator for the industry fell to minus 1.0 points after plus 7.9 in November, as the Munich researchers announced on Wednesday for their monthly survey.
This darkened the situation for the fifth month in a row.
"This further deterioration is driven by the manufacturers, not the suppliers," said Oliver Falck, who heads the Ifo Center for Industrial Organization and New Technologies.
All manufacturers are therefore still affected by delivery bottlenecks for preliminary products.
Business abroad also seems to be stalling: the index for export expectations fell to 28.1 points, after having stood at 51.1 in November.
"The expectations of the manufacturers are also no longer so rosy," said Falck.
The manufacturers' business expectations fell from 42.7 to 18.2 points.
"The expectations of the manufacturers are also no longer so rosy"
Ifo expert
Oliver Falck
The situation with the manufacturers transfers directly to the suppliers. Their situation therefore remains bad: the barometer rose from minus 21.7 to minus 13.6 points, but remains clearly in negative territory. The business expectations of suppliers are also more pessimistic than they have been for almost two years. "The latest announcements by automakers that they are expanding their activities in China are certainly having a negative impact on the mood of medium-sized suppliers in particular, who are heavily dependent on automobile production in Germany," said Falck.
The carmakers, plagued by production stoppages, are counting on a significant recovery in sales in the new year.
After the slump in new registrations since mid-2021, the importers in the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK) are forecasting an increase of 15 percent to around three million cars in 2022. Given the high order backlog, this is not a utopian number, it said.
The prerequisite is that the shortage of parts is overcome as hoped.
rei / Reuters / DPA