X-ray to the Spanish market of the industrial vehicle

From the year 2007 and until 31 December 2012 the sales of new industrial vehicles in Spain fell 72%, happening of the 324.000 units that enrolled in the year that marked the start of the crisis to the 91.400 with which closed the last exercise. In what we carry of year, the situation does not seem to invest his negative tendency, although it is true that in the accumulated of the year, of January to August of 2013, the descent seems to have ralentizado (-0,5%) and there is subsegmentos, as the one of the vans, that in the last months already registers positive taxles.

Analyse with Juan Antonio Sánchez, president of Ganvam, National Association of Sellers of Vehicles to Engine, Repair and Spare parts, the situation of the market and the keys of by where can come his reflation.

From different fields has considered traditionally the sector of the transport like an important thermometer of the economic activity of a country, by what the evolution of the sales of industrial vehicles is used to to be a clear reflection of the situation that crosses this country. In this sense, the data that handles the association Ganvam, speak of a fall of market, in hardly five years, that round the 233.000 units, that is to say 72% less than volume, happening of the 324.000 industrial vehicles that enrolled in all the 2007, to the 91.400 with which closed the 2012, including in the study derived of tourisms, pickup, vans, commercial vehicles (less than 3,5 t), trucks (+ of 3,5 t) and buses.

Juan Antonio Sánchez, president of Ganvam.

Of January to August of this 2013, according to the last study of registrations by markets of IEA (Institute of Studies of Automotive sector), the evolution of the sales also has been negative, although with a clear contrast between the subsegmentos of commercial vehicles of less than 3,5 t (19.525 units, with a descent interanual of 7,52%), industrial vehicles (6.818 units, -14,43%) and buses (1.070 units, -15,01%), with regard to the derivatives of tourisms, vans and pick-up that, after growing during five consecutive months, present a positive difference with regard to the same period of the past year of 7,95% (35.084 units).

“The subsector of derivatives, vans and pick-up seem to have touched already bottom”, signals Juan Antonio Sánchez, president of Ganvam. “After accumulating a descent of 67% from 2007, this year adds already five consecutive months of growth in the sales. And this is, definitely, a good antecedent because it supposes that there is a series of works that are reactivating and that require of new vehicles to continue with the business”. These works are in good part related with the tourism, with companies of catering, hotels, etc. that they have seen in the need to renew or expand his fleets to face up to the increase of customers.

“For the rest of industrial vehicles, fear me that it still has not hit rock bottom – adds Juan Antonio Sánchez -, are still in a situation of emergency, like consequence, especially, of the bad situation that crosses the construction in our country and the industrial activity in general”.

One of the main causes of the fall in the sales of industrial vehicles resides in the difficulties to find financials for the operations of dealers. In a lot of occasions exists the need to purchase a new vehicle but there are not options to fund this transaction. “If speeches with the financial entities, they ensure that yes there is available money to fund these operations. But the problem is not the quantity. The problem resides in the slat that are putting to be able to access to this financials, especially if it takes into account that the big majority of the operations in industrial vehicle require of this type of financial support”, ensures the president of Ganvam.

Registrations by markets January-August 2013. Source: IEA (Institute of Studies of Automotive sector).

Regarding the initiatives that has come launching recently the Administration to reactivate the market of the automotive sector (Plans Pive, Plan PIMA Air….), the true is that the big benefited of these helps is the sector of the tourisms, since the number of operations of industrial vehicle that have taken advantage of of them keeps on being very limited (save in the case of the commercial vehicles). They are used to to be vehicles of greater amount, especially trucks of big tonelaje, where these economic helps hardly have incidence.

Therefore, the big financial effort, as it recognises Juan Antonio Sánchez, is coming of the side of the manufacturers that, through his own financial entities, are putting everything of his part to facilitate the closing of these operations.

Regarding a possible recovery of the market to short/half term, the president of Ganvam signals that “they are producing a series of facts that are positive and unquestionable, but speak of data macroeconómicos (export, evolution of the tourism, entry of capitals, risk premium, etc.) that will take some months in fructificar in the microeconomía, in the economy of the street, in the day in day out. But if it keeps this tendency think that in a few months could be speaking already of a reflation of the market. The sector of the car in general, including tourisms and industrial vehicles, is a sector that I designate ‘cork', that goes up or drop in function of what occur in the economy. It is clearly conditioned by the evolution of the economic curve of the country. If this is positive, the sales will go up automatically because the people, after the house, needs a car, and if has a business, needs a vehicle to realizar the transport”.

The fall in the sales of new industrial vehicles is comporting a progressive aging of the park that circulates by our roads, until the point that according to the data of DGT that handles Ganvam, more than 50% of the trucks that move at present by our country are 12,5 years old or more than life, figure that elevates until the 13,5 years in the case of the vans. This increase in the half age of the park of these vehicles supposes a grave risk so much in matter of hygiene vial as in environingingmental key, as it confirms Juan Antonio Sánchez: “A vehicle manufactured ten years ago does not seem practically in at all to another that go out now of the plant of production, are numerous the innovations that have incorporated in the industry in this last decade, included the relative to active and passive hygiene. I go him to give a data that although it corresponds to the sector of the tourisms, is perfectly relocatable to the industrial vehicle: 57% of the mortal accidents that produced in August of 2013 in our roads corresponded to vehicles with 10 or more years of antiquity”.

Juan Antonio Sánchez stands out the important weight that follows having in the Spanish market of the automotive sector the vehicle used.

In front of this worrisome situation, the General Steering of Traffic, in collaboration with the most representative associations of the sector, have configured a desirable situation for the year 2016 that allow to reduce the age measured of the trucks in Spain to 6 years, and the one of the vans to 6-7 years, taking for this different measures of control and stimulus.

In the progressive aging of the fleet of industrial vehicles also has a lot that see the important weight that follows having in our country the secondhand market. Of agreement to the data of Ganvam, in the accumulated of the year, between January and August of 2013, the sales of industrial vehicles used reached the 218.532 units, with an increase in the month of August of 6,5%. By segments, in all the cases reached stood out growths, being the subsector of the buses and the one of the industrial from among 3,5 t and 6 t those that better results obtained.

“The problem of the vehicle used, so much in tourism as in industrial, is that they are reintroduciendo in the market vehicles with more than ten years of life, with grave damages in matter of pollution and accidentalidad. It is evident that the crisis carries to a lot of people, that needs a vehicle for his work and that does not have sufficient resources to buy one new, to purchase units used”, concludes Juan Antonio Sánchez.

August, a positive month for the commercial vehicles

In the month of August, the data by corresponding channels to commercial vehicles of until 3,5 tonnes, have showed positive signs in general. The channel ‘Rent-to-car' has experienced an increase of 26% (530 registrations) with a promotion in the accumulated of the year of 4,6% and 12.200 units. The Autonomous ‘channel' grew in August 12% (almost 2.000 units) rising in the total of the year 11% (16.000 units). The channel ‘Company' also increased in August 12% (2.750 units), although in the accumulated of the year experiences a fall of 4,2%.