Slight uptick for European leisure‐vehicle sales

Germany and France the drivers of sales growth; motor caravan sales up, but caravan sales down

Stuttgart, 16 January 2012

According to the initial figures released for last year by the European Caravan Federation (ECF), new leisure‐vehicle sales are expected to have registered a slight increase in 2011, largely thanks to the recovery in the French market and the excellent results in Germany. However, sales trends differed for the two types of vehicles that come into play. Whereas overall European new‐caravan sales were down 1.4 percent, sales of new motor caravans rose 8.9 percent.

According to the ECF’s initital calculations, around 155,500 leisure vehicles rolled out of dealer showrooms in 2011. This represents a 3.3 percent increase in total European new leisure‐vehicle sales, nearly 81,000 of which were accounted for by caravans; this equates to a sligtht decrease by 1.4 percent. Nearly 74,500 new motor caravans were sold, which represents an 8.9 percent increase over 2010.

There were also significant differences in sales figures at the regional level. France, with around 29,500 leisure vehicles sold, and in particular Germany, where leisure vehicle sales topped 39,000, led the way with robust growth for both types of leisure vehicles. Robust sales growth was also registered in Sweden (more than 8,000 leisure vehicles sold), Norway (around 5,800 leisure vehicles sold), and Switzerland (more than 4,300 leisure vehicles sold), as well as in the smaller regional markets, namely Belgium, Austria and Slovenia. Sales declined in all other European markets.

“You see how key the German market is to this evolution if you look at the figures with the German sales excluded from them,” said Hans‐Karl Sternberg, General Secretary of the European Caravan Federation (ECF). “New caravan sales outside of Germany declined by around 4.3 percent last year, while new motor caravan sales outside of Germany rose by 4.9 percent. Hence, excluding Germany, overall European leisure vehicle sales increased only marginally by 0.3 percent in 2011.” Sternberg also noted that the substantial rise in German leisure vehicle export sales is a tribute to the quality of German‐made caravans and motor caravans.

Definitive 2011 sales figures for caravans and motor caravans in Europe are expected to be available this coming March.

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e‐mail: andreas.horx@civd.de
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