"Focus2move is my ultimate dream" Carlo Simongini |  |
csimongini@focus2move.com
While the whole European Community area was further declining with a gap of 21% from the record volume posted in the 2007, Czech Republic, Denmark and Switzerland hit the new all-time record volume, while Norway was aligned with the record posted in the 2011.
In the 2012, the entire European (29 countries inside EU Community and EFTA area) car market dropped at 12.5 million cars (not including LCVs) down 7.7% from 2011 and 21.6% from the all-time record volume, posted in the 2007 at 15.961.000 units.
Focus2move analyzed the annual performance of each country, looking at the gap between 2012 and the all-time record.
Czech Republic, Denmark and Switzerland posted the new record driven by a robust economy and, in case of Denmark, the renewal of car park with greener products.
Norway failed the record by only 0.3% caused by an awful December (-19%). However the record was achieved last year as in case of Belgium and Austria. These two countries in the 2012 have lost respectively 14.7% and 5.9% remaining not far from their best.
Luxemburg, Slovakia and Sweden in the 2012 maintained their gap from the record below 10%.
The Netherlands record was posted in the 1999. However the market is quite stable and in 2012 was 17.5% far from the best.
France and Germany posted their record in the 2009, due to the really strong incentive support introduced by the governments to protect the sector in the middle of the financial crisis. In 2012, France was 17.5% far and Germany 19.0%.
The UK in 2012 was the best big European country. However, the gap from the 2005 record was 20.7%.
Italy posted the record in the 2007, at 2.5 million units and after five years of consecutive decline the market in 2012 was 44.0% lower.
Similar the Spanish trend, with record posted in the 2006 at 1.6 million, followed by 6 years of consecutive decline and a 2012 level of 0.7 million, down 57.2% from the record.
However, 9 countries performed worse than Spain with really huge lost in Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Hungary.
In the table below, the 28 EU countries, ordered by the 2012 gap from the record year:
| Record Year | Record Volume | 2012 Volume | 2012 Gap from record |
Czech Rep. | 2012 | 174.009 | 174.009 | 0,0% |
Denmark | 2012 | 165.845 | 165.845 | 0,0% |
Switzerland | 2012 | 328.129 | 328.129 | 0,0% |
Norway | 2011 | 138.345 | 137.967 | -0,3% |
Luxembourg | 2008 | 52.359 | 50.399 | -3,7% |
Austria | 2011 | 356.145 | 336.010 | -5,7% |
Slovakia | 2009 | 74.717 | 69.267 | -7,3% |
Sweden | 2007 | 306.799 | 279.899 | -8,8% |
Belgium | 2011 | 572.211 | 486.737 | -14,9% |
The Netherlands | 1999 | 611.487 | 504.543 | -17,5% |
France | 2009 | 2.302.398 | 1.898.883 | -17,5% |
Poland | 2010 | 333.492 | 273.554 | -18,0% |
Germany | 2009 | 3.807.175 | 3.082.504 | -19,0% |
United Kingdom | 2003 | 2.579.050 | 2.044.609 | -20,7% |
Finland | 2005 | 147.949 | 111.159 | -24,9% |
Slovenia | 2008 | 71.575 | 48.648 | -32,0% |
Italy | 2007 | 2.493.106 | 1.396.248 | -44,0% |
Iceland | 2005 | 18.060 | 7.930 | -56,1% |
Spain | 2006 | 1.634.608 | 699.583 | -57,2% |
Ireland | 2000 | 230.795 | 79.632 | -65,5% |
Portugal | 1992 | 276.972 | 95.289 | -65,6% |
Latvia | 2007 | 32.771 | 10.665 | -67,5% |
Hungary | 2006 | 187.676 | 53.059 | -71,7% |
Romania | 2007 | 315.621 | 66.436 | -79,0% |
Greece | 2000 | 290.222 | 58.479 | -79,9% |
Bulgaria | 2003 | 152.981 | 19.825 | -87,0% |
Estonia | 2003 | 208.426 | 17.265 | -91,7% |
Lithuania | 2003 | 358.432 | 12.170 | -96,6% |
