Motor vehicle trade and importers: Car industry in crisis

Motor vehicle trade and importers: Car industry in crisis

Production stops, interruptions in supply chains, closed showrooms, registration offices and workshops – the automotive industry is one of the hardest hit by the current crisis. According to a current study by the data service provider Eurotax, the current devaluation requirement (March 15 to May 15) is already 108 million euros. "We assume that the crisis in the vehicle trade will last four months until sales have normalized to some extent. We therefore expect a devaluation loss of 214 million euros in this context," says BGO Klaus Edelsbrunner. “In order to keep the Austrian automobile industry alive, further economic measures are urgently needed,” said Günther Kerle, spokesman for the Austrian automobile importers. "In contrast to other areas of trade, the automobile trade is characterized by some special features, such as its capital intensity and the high value of the goods traded. In order to ensure liquidity, an increased capital requirement is therefore necessary. In addition, the automobile industry is one of the few branches that trades in used goods. The problem is that all used cars are devalued for every day that they are not sold," says Kerle. "Support to stimulate the market in the form of a greening bonus could represent a clear win-win situation and not only stimulate the market, but also generate additional tax revenue for the state. In addition, a rejuvenation of the vehicle fleet would improve the environmental balance in the transport sector," Edelsbrunner and Kerle agree. In addition, a general input tax deduction could provide significant relief for the automotive industry.

The domestic automotive industry acts as one of the leading sectors of the manufacturing economy in Austria. The companies in the entire Austrian automotive industry represent 315,000 jobs and a gross added value of around 26 billion euros.