MARKET DATA
After a weak start to the year, replacement market tyre sales in Europe displayed signs of recovery in the third quarter; unit sales for the first nine months of 2013 are almost at the same level as the same period last year.
What’s in a name? Keeping a good name means as much in business as in life. When it comes to online marketing it arguably means even more. For the last nine years Tyres & Accessories has surveyed the prominence and sentiment of tyre brand names in the online world. We’re not experts in the very specialist and highly technical research field so we have spent all this time partnering with a company in silicon fen, which knows a whole lot more about this than we do. Previously our research partners were known as Envisional, but in the year since our last report the company has re-branded itself as NetNames. Nevertheless it is the same system and therefore it continues to be comparable with our data archive.
It has been quite a month for the forecasters. Not the weather forecasters mind you – although the winter weather that has sprinkled the UK and parts of Europe with a fresh dusting of snow will no doubt have kept them busy too – but rather the market forecasters. With ETRMA reporting that tyre unit sales fell off a cliff last year, Conti saying the market is likely to bottom out in 2013 and with other analysts predicting 2013 will be a good year for tyre retailers, what is on the horizon for the next 12 months?
The latest tyre market data published by Michelin is being read as a warning signal by market analysts. The figures, which reflect demand trends in December and for 2012 as a whole suggest tyre sell-in unit volumes were weak. European light vehicle replacement sales, specifically, continued to slip (-7%), despite falling 19 per cent year—on–year in December 2011. Overall this is being interpreted as a response to a poor winter tyre season.
ACEA – the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association – has revealed 2012 new car registrations declined by 8.2 per cent in the EU (excluding Malta), continuing the downward trend commenced fifteen months ago. Worse still was the 16.3 per cent reduction in December registrations versus December 2011 – the steepest decline recorded in December since 2008, though this decline can partially be blamed on having on average two fewer working days in the region than in the same month in 2011. The UK was the only major market to post growth in the month, which was also reflected across the whole year.
Whatever happens in the wider economy and even in the tyre market in particular it seems that being strong helps you stay strong when it comes to online branding. Throughout the last eight annual surveys of the online prominence and sentiment of leading tyre brands one thing has stayed the same. Michelin has always come top in terms of prominence and has been beaten only by Pirelli on two occasions (2005 and 2006). Furthermore the top six places are seemingly impenetrable to those seeking to build their brands online, with the same handful of companies trading positions with each other but some way off of the rest of the pack in terms of prominence. However, there are always surprises and 2012’s survey is no different.
On 5 September Michelin updated its tyre market statistics, and reported a four per cent year-on-year upswing in Europe’s (including Russia and Turkey) original equipment passenger car tyre market for July 2012. Year-to-date, however, the segment market is still down three per cent. A six per cent decline was reported for Europe’s replacement market passenger car tyre business. Replacement sales are down ten per cent year-to-date.
Tyre volumes are still declining around the world despite gains in the North American markets, which reportedly reflect improvements in demand but come from a low base. The news is derived from Michelin’s sell-in market data, which the global tyre giant publishes on a monthly basis.
Following the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association report on passenger car registrations, market research company JATO Dynamic has added its new car sales analysis for the region. The headline figures are declines of 6.1 per cent in April, the lowest monthly decline of the year so far, and 7.1 per cent in year-to-date compared to 2011. Focusing more on the top ten brands, JATO explained that Renault and Opel/Vauxhall experienced the largest fall in sales during April of 16.9 and 16.1 per cent respectively, while Volkswagen maintains top position, ahead of Ford.
April 2012 passenger car registrations in the European Union hit ten-year lows according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. There was a decline overall in the Union of 6.9 per cent in comparison with April 2011, itself a decade-long low – a fair comparison, given that there were the same number of working days in each month. The UK and Germany bucked the trend, posting modest growth in April at 3.3 and 2.9 per cent respectively.
A survey of British motorists found that almost two thirds of drivers are opting to leave their cars behind to travel by other means in order to save money, Bridgestone UK research has revealed. The research, commissioned by the tyre manufacturer, found that 65 per cent of people have stopped using their car so often in an effort to save money and 67 per cent are encouraging their families to walk more as part of a wider cost cutting exercise.
A recent survey by insurance comparison website Confused.com reveals that first-time buyers are becoming more savvy about the cost of cars; looking at the full cost of motoring rather than just the initial purchase price. Cars are one of the biggest expenses that people make in their life time. However, people are having to compromise on the cars they drive. Big engines and car modifications no longer the new driver's prerogative, due to the cost of insurance and overall rising cost of motoring.
As motorists deal with the rising cost of petrol, new research from Auto Trader's latest Price Index, which tracks the average prices of used cars in the UK, shows that the average asking price of used cars from January to March 2012 actually fell 3.9 per cent year-on-year to £8,891.
The latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the provider of automotive intelligence, reveals that new car sales in Europe for March declined by 7.1 per cent and were also down 7.5 per cent, year-to-date compared with Q1 2011. While there was growth in the British and German markets, this was countered by reduced sales in France and Italy.
"Car production held firm in March contributing to 12.3 per cent growth during the first quarter of 2012. Challenging economic conditions in mainland Europe are a concern, but the sector continues to win business in important and faster growing export markets,'' said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. "The prospects for the UK motor industry are extremely good with new investment, commitment and jobs being created by global automotive companies.''
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