Alex Trelinski
NEW car sales in Spain have plunged to a nine-year low due to rising costs and logistical issues.
Just 813,396 new vehicles were sold in 2022- the lowest total in nine years.
December deals were down by 5.4% compared to the previous year and 35.3% lower than before the pandemic in December 2019.
A lack of components like semi-conductors appears to have been resolved, but higher energy prices and increased raw material costs are bumping up the final price to the consumer.
A new car costs an average 19% more compared to 2019.
With everybody tightening belts during the economic crisis, there’s been a resulting negative impact on new car demand.
Spokesman for manufacturing association Anfac, Felix Garcia, said: “Any improvement in the situation will depend on whether the conflict in Ukraine ends and the logistics chain returns to normal so that more new vehicles can be delivered.”
Buyers are having to wait between four and six months for their purchase compared to just a month during the Covid-19 pandemic.
That’s down to fewer drivers to transport new models on carriers around Spain and further afield.
Around 800 carrier drivers looked for alternative employment during the pandemic and never returned to their old jobs according to Anfac.
“Thousands of cars remain parked in ports and fields delaying their delivery to buyers,” said Felix Garcia.
The biggest sellers in Spain last year were the Hyundai Tucson, the Dacia Sandero and the Seat Arona.
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