Car Industry Between Hope And Worry

The car makers usually use the Geneve Car Salon not only for the presentation of their newest models and show cars but also for a position-fixing. Because they are in all the world’s single markets present and – especially the volume car manufacturers – in most of the market segments, the differences mostly are only in nuances. Not often before the views were so far away than this year: optimists versus pessimists; pragmatism here, utopism there; the picture of the global car market is rather distinguished.

Scientists in the automotive area see the luxury segment on the limit. They believe that the progress in sales some car makers believe in will not happen. Unbroken seems the trend to sport utility vehicles (SUV) and especially to those with a very exclusive appointment.

If you see such a car you might think of the roots of offroad vehicles, but the car makers made them to onroad cars. Whereas “normal” cars in the US again lost 10.9 percent market share at the beginning of this year, more light trucks were sold than ever and with a plus of 4.

4% made the distance to passenger cars wider. Also in Europe more SUVs were sold, but it is common that the market for this segment will stay under the state of North America. But two other new trends enter the focus: On the one hand so called cross-over models mixing two traditional car segments into one – for example cabrio and offroad.

The second trend has the market of small cars in focus: the cars might be small but not cheap as a car like the Mini shows.In Geneve the managers and journalists discussed about company state of business, markets with a sales plus were welcomed, markets with a minus were grieved over: Usually it was the wrong policy, but definitely the bad economy guilty. And the suppliers are always in the shipping lane of the car makers.