New motor caravan registrations up: caravanning industry outperforms previous year in first quarter

The enthusiasm of Germans for caravanning as a form of holidaying continues to be strong. The excellent visitor figures at the latest caravanning trade fairs are impressive proof of this trend. Interest among newcomers in particular remains high, as shown by the high demand for rental vehicles at the start of this year’s season. Renting a motor caravan or caravan is considered the classic introduction to caravanning. These positive developments are very encouraging for the caravanning industry, which is starting the caravanning year 2023 with optimism after a very challenging 2022.

Supply chains and shortage of personnel
The caravanning industry had to struggle with faltering supply chains last year, particularly in the motor caravan sector. In addition, there were pandemic-related personnel shortages, the general shortage of skilled workers, and the cross-industry effects of the war in Ukraine. This situation was very frustrating for manufacturers and suppliers, who were only able to process their very high order backlogs with time delays and under increased material and energy costs. These challenges will continue to accompany the industry to some extent this year, but there are reasons for optimism:

Motor caravan division on the upswing
The aforementioned supply shortages were particularly noticeable in motor caravans production last year, as the division suffered from an acute shortage of vehicle chassis. Demand for new motor caravans far exceeded supply on the market. The latest new registration figures therefore give cause for optimism for the remainder of the year: with 18,479 new registrations in the first quarter, the division exceeded the previous year’s level by 5.7 percent. Numerous manufacturers are now focusing on a broader range of brands for their base vehicles, which has improved the supply situation for vehicle chassis compared with the previous year.

New caravan registrations at a solid level
Caravan production benefited from the lack of vehicle chassis for motor caravans in 2022: Manufacturers producing both vehicle types used their open production capacities to build more caravans. Accordingly, the division not only closed 2022 with an increase in production, but also recorded rising new registration figures in the fall and winter. Many of the new caravans were exported. In the first quarter of 2023, the caravan sector, with a total of 5,291 new registrations, was around 5.1 percent below the result for the same period of the previous year, but remained at a solid level.

Foundation laid for successful caravanning year
After a year of many challenges, the caravanning industry has laid the groundwork for a successful 2023 caravanning year at the start of the season, reports Daniel Onggowinarso, managing director of the Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD): “People still have a great desire for holidaying in a motor caravan or caravan. An end to this trend is not in sight either. The challenge for our industry is to meet the huge demand. Unfortunately, manufacturers were only able to do this under very difficult conditions last year. However, the supply situation now looks much more positive. Caravans are currently in very good supply, and the development in motor caravan production is also positive. So, it’s worth stopping by your dealership right now.”