The data provided by Felipe Muñoz, a JATO Dynamics specialist, allows us to draw an overview of what 2022 was like for the sale of new vehicles around the world. In a context of crisis in the supply of semiconductors, lack of wiring, temporary and localized closures to contain the Covid-19 and the uncertainty derived from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, only two countries escaped the drop in new vehicle sales, considering the world’s 10 largest markets. They were China, which despite the locks registered an increase of 2%, for a total of approximately 26.9 million units, and India, which grew no less than 24%closing the year with around 4.4 new vehicles on the road.
If the leadership position of China is not surprising, the same is not the case with the dazzling rise of India, the most expressive. With the remaining eight countries showing a drop in the sale of new vehicles, the dynamics of the Indian market is not only impressive but also allows the flag of the sixth largest economy in the world to be placed on the third step of the podium, just after the United States. of America (USA). The rise of India is explained, in part, by a newer and more attractive offer, according to Felipe Munoz. However, it also results from the Japanese “demerit”. Strongly backed by local car brands, Japan saw new car sales fall 5% compared to 2021, and lower number of registrations (around 4.2 million) pushed it to fourth place in the table. Also note the huge differences between the top three markets, with China selling almost twice as much as the US and the latter trading three times more than India.
Right after Japan, Germany appears with around 2.9 million new vehicles sold in 2022 and a variation of 0% compared to 2021. Europe’s largest car market was flat, but two other “bigs” lost sales. In France, the fall was 10%, while the United Kingdom retracted 5%, being the decreases a consequence of the energy crisis and the drop in purchasing power due to inflation. Hence, considering only the top 10 of the Old Continent, with the exception of Germany, new car sales in 2022 fell in all countries, with retractions of between 4 and 10%.
Much worse in this “portrait” is Russia, for obvious reasons. The country led by Vladimir Putin suffers from the embargoes and the departure of most of the builders from Russia, which left the factories under state control, but stopped them. The offer is scarce, but the expectations about the outcome of the war do not reassure the Russians, who prefer to save rather than spend money on a new car. As such, in 2022, the Russian car market fell by no less than 59%, limiting itself to 677 thousand units. See the photo gallery above rankings global and European.
Source: Observadora
