Auto industry: hard times for the car manufacturers – but not all lose

According to VW, BMW also managed: the Munich car manufacturer in the first half of the year withdrawn from the downward vigor of the car markets and kept his heel stable. Specifically, the group delivered 1,207,388 cars from the three brands BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce, as reported. That was half a percent less than in the same period last year. The trend is even slightly positive: in the second quarter it went up 0.4 percent.

BMW also suffers from the difficult market conditions – from the increasingly harder struggle for the Chinese market to the US tariffs. However, unlike the premium competition from Mercedes-Benz and Audi, the Munich team were able to compensate for. A comparison:

The VW group is relatively well off. 4,405,300 cars are an increase of 1.3 percent in the first half of the year, which he owes primarily gains with the core brand and daughter Skoda. As mentioned, BMW is only minimally in the red and therefore clearly better than Audi, where 6 percent went down to 783,500 cars or Mercedes-Benz with a minus from eight percent to 1.08 million cars and vans.

Overall, VW did the best at Group level, says industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer – but with the exception of the daughters Porsche and Audi. He also attributes the decline in Mercedes to the concentration of Stuttgart on more expensive cars.

China: Here the competition rages

None of the German manufacturers currently look really good on the largest car market in the world. Mercedes -Benz – vans not counted – 14 percent on 293,200 cars, Audi a good 10 percent to 287,600, BMW 15.5 percent to 318,000. Only the VW group as a whole manages the feat of escaping the downward strudel a bit despite the weak numbers of the daughter. In the half year, the minus there is only 2.3 percent on 1,345,100 cars. In the second quarter, almost 3 percent go up – including a concentration on combustion engines.

USA and North America: Only one

The matter is not so easy here, because only a part of the corporations shows the USA individually – some only together with North America, and this is defined, for example, at Audi without Mexico. However, almost everyone is single -digit declines: 9 percent at Audi, almost 7 for the entire VW group – with increasing tendency – and 6 percent at Mercedes -Benz Cars, i.e. without vans. Only BMW can grow here: 2.7 percent on 193,000 cars.

However, this is presumably not cheap, because the Munich people have so far not passed the additional costs of the tariffs in the United States. However, this strategy is not a guarantee of success: at least Audi also uses it so far. How expensive the manufacturers will come will only be shown in the next financial figures in a few weeks.

Europe: It is most beautiful at home!

Europe of the three major markets is currently the best region for German manufacturers. Mercedes and Audi lose comparatively little there, the VW group increases easily, and BMW can even record a solid plus from 8.2 percent to almost half a million cars. The Chinese competition is still weak here, and above all, the manufacturers benefit from a newly resusing electric room.

Elektro: At least one area is under power.

The Stromer saves most of the groups – or at least relieve relegation – with the exception of Mercedes -Benz. There it goes down 14 percent to 87,300 cars – including vans. Without them it would look even worse with minus 19 percent. VW increases 47 percent to 465,500 vehicles at Group level, including 101,000 from the daughter Audi, who grants almost a third and occupies second place in the premium trivial. BMW has an increase of 16 percent to 220,500.

It is striking that the German manufacturers sell their electric cars, especially in Europe. At least with the VW group and daughter Audi you can understand the reported numbers. The home continent accounts for around three quarters here – much more than in the whole of all drive types. At BMW, the focus is not quite as strong, but with a good 126,000 electricityers, significantly more than half went to Europe.

A central factor is that in China you can hardly get a foot on the ground in Stromer. Audi does not create 8,000 electricity in the largest market for pure battery cars (BEV) in the world, the VW Group in total and also has to be accepted by around a third. The domestic competition is too strong, too wide and too cheap.

Another aspect that brings Stromer to Europe could be the tightened fleet limit values ​​in the EU, which manufacturers also want to reach with additional BEV, as Dudenhöffer says. BMW, for example, gives high discounts here.

“China is the wound of the German car manufacturer,” says Dudenhöffer. Long profits came from there. If they fell away, this will have a negative impact on the corporations. As a brand, VW succeeded in catching the situation there. At BMW and Mercedes it will be particularly important for the upcoming new class or the CLA. You would have to work in China, otherwise it would be difficult for the two manufacturers.