2023-09-04 12:00:12
Preparation of the exhibition stand of the German manufacturer Opel, in Munich, Friday, September 1, 2023. TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP
For the second edition in a row, the German Motor Show is being held in Munich, from Tuesday September 5 to Sunday September 10, and no longer in Frankfurt. So as not to take environmental defense associations head on and show that the sector is adapting to societal changes, it is defined as a mobility fair. We will see cargo bikes and solutions for public transport, even if car manufacturers remain the stars. They have also invested the center of the city to involve the general public in this event.
BMW is thus presenting the new Mini family there, with two electric models, in the heart of the old town. Volkswagen has taken over the Place de l’Odéon, which it shares this year with the Chinese company BYD. The stand of the leading German manufacturer is intended to be open to facilitate dialogue and show the brand’s environmental commitment. Because the sector cannot ignore the criticisms raised by the environmental footprint of over-equipped, larger and heavier cars, in the face of the urgent needs to reduce CO2 emissions. Friday, September 1, in the evening, some activists were already blocking traffic in front of the new place dedicated to art and exhibitions of the Munich manufacturer BMW.
The latest figures in the car market, however, show little rejection of the car. On the contrary. According to data released by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers, July was the twelfth consecutive month of growth in registrations. That is an increase of 17.6% since the start of the year in Europe: 6.3 million cars were registered there in the first seven months of the year. In July, sales of diesel cars overtook electric cars, with gasoline still far ahead (35.8%). France is escaping this trend: electric represents 15.4% of registrations, hybrid vehicles 32%, diesel having fallen to 10%.
“It’s still exceptional”
“Beware of the syndrome of the star which still shines, when it is already dead! », however warns Eric Champarnaud, partner of the marketing consulting firm C-Ways, in the face of this apparent dynamism. The market, which should end the year at 1.8 million registrations in France, up double digits (around 14%), is still 20% below the level of 2019. Above all, these data include orders several months ago, and even in 2022, that manufacturers were slow to deliver because of difficulties in supplying semiconductors or bottlenecks in logistics (lack of trucks and drivers, saturation of ports ). New order intake is progressing more slowly than these registration figures, warns the consultant.
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