MARKET DATA
"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.''
In January, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed 16-month high figures in car manufacturing, and its February numbers support the view of KPMG automotive partner, John Leech that production will “strengthen in 2012”. Year on year figures show that manufacturing rose 23.5 per cent in February, making the year to date 19.6 per cent above the same two months in 2011. Commercial vehicle output meanwhile fell slightly by 2.7 per cent, down 2.0 per cent over the first two months of the year.
John Leech, partner in KPMG’s automotive practice has suggested the recent upturn in UK car manufacturing could suggest that the sector will lead the country’s economy back to pre-financial crisis growth. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed car production rising in January 2012, with 15.6 per cent more manufactured cars on January 2011. The figure comes on the back of increased demand for British-made cars in growth export markets.
January 2012 saw the most cars manufactured in the UK for 16 months, a Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders statement has revealed. While car manufacturing rose 15.6 per cent to 127,382 compared with January 2011, commercial vehicle output fell by 1.2 per cent, reaching 9,844.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has revealed that car manufacturing rose 1.3 per cent in July and is up 3.7 per cent over the first seven months of 2011. Commercial vehicle output has not been able to match the upwards creep of car manufacturing, with a decline of 5.9 per cent in July, down 5.1 per cent over the January-July period. UK engine production is stable, dipping just 0.4 per cent in July and up 4.0 per cent for the year-to-date. Vehicle production in the UK is less fragile than much of the UK economy thanks to strong exports.
Insurance company Admiral has found motorists using their cars less and ignoring problems with their cars – including replacing tyres – due to rising motoring costs. Half of UK motorists say they have reduced the amount of driving they do due to the rising cost of fuel, while more than nine out of ten feel ripped off by the current price of petrol and diesel. These are some of the findings of new research by car insurance expert Admiral that illustrate how motoring costs are affecting many drivers.
While the car market stayed low in February, registrations of new trucks and vans were up by more than a quarter on February 2010, at 27.4 per cent. Trucks saw a rise of 50.9 per cent to 2,068, making the figures in the first two months 36,070 units registered, or a rise of 11.1 per cent. Vans were up 23.8 per cent to 11,113 in February, keeping growth consistent from January, meaning 230,658 units have been registered in 2011 to date, up 22.7 per cent.
While new car registrations dipped in February 2011 compared with February 2010, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the returns represented less of a drop than had been expected, given that the previous year had been boosted by the government’s Scrappage Incentive Scheme. The first two months of 2011 have seen 192,235 units registered, down 10.2 per cent. While the decline in registrations was the eighth straight month in negative figures, the 7.7 per cent drop represented the smallest drop in this time period. This was thanks mainly to fleet demand, which grew 8.6 per cent. The executive, luxury saloon, sports car and MPV segments continued to show “double-digit growth”; diesel cars took more than 50 per cent of the market.
While the UK economy as a whole has taken a battering over the past two years or more, the overall size of the passenger car tyre market has remained relatively stable, which is good news for the 4×4 sector too.
In 2010 the UK car, 4×4 and van tyre market totalled some 33 million units. There is always some dispute about the precision of figures like this – the argument usually focuses on questions like Where do you draw the line between 4×4 and four-wheel Navarro-style van? Do the figures include grey imports? How many part worn tyres are sold each year? and how do you know that?
But while you can determine what you define a 4×4 tyre as by product size, there will always be a degree of uncertainty when it comes to things like grey imports and part worn sales. The received wisdom is that annual part worn sales total something like 2 million tyres a year, but there is some support for the figure being considerably higher during 2009 and 2010 due to increased cost pressure on motorists during the credit crunch.
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The year-on-year rise of a third in light vehicle sales in China last year was coupled with a 1.3 per cent gain in market share for domestic brands, a statement from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers claims. 6.3 million of the total 13.8 million units sold in 2010 were Chinese. “Compared with the previous year, the market share of Japanese and Korean brands dropped slightly while that of German, American and French brands inched up,” stated CAAM. German brands trousered a market share of 14.4 per cent, while France scored 2.7 per cent.
At its second 2010 national conference, HiQ announced what it calls a number of historic milestones in the development of the UK’s only hard franchise fast fit network. Franchisees at the two-day workshop and business forum event were welcomed by recently appointed HiQ retail director Peter Tye, who shared news of developments within the network on the second anniversary of it becoming a fully franchised operation.
The RMA is projecting a huge overall increase in tire shipments this year – by more than 9 per cent – thanks to sharp jumps in both the OE and replacement markets, reports Tire Review. But it will be more of the same in 2011, as growth projections fall to just 2 per cent for next year. According to its year-end projection, the RMA is calling for an increase of some 24 million tyres in total or a 9 per cent increase versus 2009 shipment results. Looking forward, the RMA sees a small 2 per cent year-to-year increase for 2011 thanks to continuing economic uncertainty.
First the good news: Sales of truck tyres to European OEM customers during October 2010 were significantly above those of a year earlier. According to market data made public by Pirelli and Michelin, OE truck tyre sales rose by at least 75 per cent year-on-year (Pirelli’s figure is 75 per cent, Michelin reports segment growth at an even healthier 81.2 per cent). Strong growth in the original equipment business was not matched by the aftermarket, however. Pirelli reports a three per cent drop in European replacement market truck tyre sales during October, while Michelin’s figures show the decline to be 1.5 per cent.
While the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders suggests the 2010 new passenger car market will be 1.5 per cent up on 2009 figures at the end of the year, October saw a “significant fall in… new car registrations,” says Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. Registrations fell 22.2 per cent to 131,495 in year-on-year comparisons, though this figure is in line with October 2009 if one discounts the Scrappage Incentive Scheme volumes. The impact of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme would therefore seem to have had no effect but to prop up the 2009 market temporarily, while the sluggish recovery of demand in 2010 could partially be the effect of consumers bringing new car purchases forward to take advantage of the scheme. Everitt also said “some deterioration in consumer confidence” was responsible.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reports that the upturn in van registrations of recent months continued in October, with 18,147 new registrations making a 22.4 per cent increase on September’s figures. Truck registrations recorded a spectacular-sounding 79.9 per cent rise on September, though that month was represented by the lowest figures in recent memory. 3,158 new trucks were registered.
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