Commercial vehicle market: The Corona crisis is over

The commercial vehicle market in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein grew by 13.1 percent in the first quarter of 2021. After 9,462 new registrations in the same period last year, 10,702 are on the books as of the end of March - and thus even 228 more than in the first three months of the pre-crisis year 2019, according to the latest surveys by the industry association auto-schweiz. Demand for motorhomes is also stronger; these continue to benefit from the trend toward individual vacations during the covid pandemic and provide a jump of 31.6 percent in passenger transport vehicles.

Commercial vehicle market with positive outlook

The economic environment for rising demand for transport vehicles is definitely in place, says auto-schweiz. The latest economic forecasts by the federal government's group of experts and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's economic research unit (KOF) predict growth in gross domestic product of between 3.2 and 4.7 percent for 2021. After the Swiss commercial vehicle market was hit much harder than the economy as a whole with a drop of 13.5 percent in the Corona year 2020, the recovery after the crisis could now also be stronger. This is because a catch-up effect is foreseeable in terms of companies' investments in new vehicles. In view of the previous year's figures, which were impacted by showroom closures, auto-schweiz therefore expects the recovery in the Swiss commercial vehicle market to continue in the coming months.

Demand for light commercial vehicles in particular is growing again, with an increase of 11.9 percent. This means that 7,772 new light commercial vehicles hit the road in the first quarter, compared with 6,944 in the same period of the previous year. The 11.9 percent increase is attributable in particular to the heavier vehicle groups between 2.6 and 3.5 tons gross weight. Only heavy commercial vehicles are slightly below the level of the first quarter of 2020, at 7.7 percent or 75 units.

Heavy commercial vehicles: delayed effect

In the weight classes above that, heavy material transport vehicles, however, the previous year's level of 976 registrations was not quite reached. However, the 7.7 percent decline to 901 new trucks and semitrailer tractors is manageable in the volatile truck market and could already turn into a plus in the second quarter, according to auto-schweiz. The first three months of 2019 went exceptionally well with 1,093 new registrations, the gap to this pre-Corona quarter is correspondingly high at 17.6 percent. However, a four-digit number of new heavy commercial vehicles in a quarter already seems within reach again in the further course of the year.

General increase in vehicle in-transit

Together with the 56,497 passenger cars, a total of 67,199 new motor vehicles were put into circulation in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein in the first quarter of 2021. Compared to the previous year's figure of 64,914, this represents an increase of 2,285 new registrations or 3.5 percent.

Source: auto-schweiz