Statistics Explained

Archive:Car and motorcycle trade statistics - NACE Rev. 1.1

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Data from January 2009. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database

This article belongs to a set of statistical articles which analyse the structure, development and characteristics of the various economic activities in the European Union (EU). According to the statistical classification of economic activities in the EU (NACE Rev 1.1), the present article covers car and motorcycle trade, corresponding to NACE Groups 50.1 to 50.4, which are part of the motor trades sector. The activities covered in this article are:

Table 1: Motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution. New registrations of passenger cars in Western Europe by selected brand, 2007 (1)
Figure 1: Motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution. First registrations of private and commercial cars, trend index, EU-27 (2005=100)
Table 2: Motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution (NACE Groups 50.1, 50.2, 50.3 and 50.4). Structural profile, EU-27, 2006
Figure 2: Motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution (NACE Groups 50.1, 50.2, 50.3 and 50.4). Relative weight within motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution, EU-27, 2006 (%)
Table 3: Motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution (NACE Groups 50.1, 50.2, 50.3 and 50.4). Structural profile: ranking of top five Member States in terms of value added and persons employed, 2006
Figure 3: Motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution (NACE Groups 50.1, 50.2, 50.3 and 50.4). Index of turnover, EU-27 (2000=100)
Table 4: Motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution (NACE Groups 50.1, 50.2, 50.3 and 50.4). Expenditure and productivity, EU-27, 2006
  • The wholesale, retail and commission sale of:
    • new and used motor vehicles (NACE Group 50.1), including not just passenger cars, but also other passenger vehicles, lorries, trailers and caravans;
    • parts and accessories (NACE Group 50.3);
    • motorcycles (part of NACE Group 50.4).
  • The maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (NACE Group 50.2) and motorcycles (the remainder of NACE Group 50.4). This includes all types of repairs (mechanical, bodywork and electrical), spraying and painting, regular servicing, as well as the installation of replacement parts and accessories. Equally, the data presented cover tyre repair and fitting, towing, roadside assistance and car cleaning services.

The renting of motor vehicles is not covered (see Renting and operational leasing statistics - NACE Rev. 1.1).

Main statistical findings

According to the European Commission’s latest report  on car prices, based on figures from the beginning of 2008, pre-tax prices in the EU-27 were lowest in Denmark on average, followed by Estonia. According to the same source, between January 2007 and January 2008, car prices (reflecting actual prices paid by consumers, including VAT and registration taxes) increased by just 0.2 % in the EU-27, well below the overall average for consumer prices. Among the large markets (in terms of volume), car prices increased by 2.5 % in France (in part due to tax changes), 1.1 % in Germany and 0.9 % in Italy. Spain (-0.8 %) and the United Kingdom (-1.1 %) recorded a fall in average car prices.

Structural profile

The EU-27’s motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution sector (NACE Groups 50.1 to 50.4) generated EUR 147.8 billion of value added in 2006 from turnover of over EUR 1.1 trillion. Some 3.7 million persons were employed by the 734.4 thousand enterprises in the motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution sector. In value added terms, this sector accounted for 91.4 % of the value added in motor trades (NACE Division 50), and 88.2 % of the persons employed.

Alone, the sale of motor vehicles (NACE Group 50.1) generated just under three fifths (58.8 %) of the motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution value added, while the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (NACE Group 50.2) contributed close to one quarter of the total (24.4 %). The same two subsectors were the main contributors to the sector's employment, although the share recorded by the sale of motor vehicles (43.9 %) was considerably less than its value added share, while that contributed by the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (36.7 %) was consequently higher. A comparison of these shares indicates the different characteristics of the activities, particularly between the sale of motor vehicles which concerns the sale of expensive capital goods and the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles which provides labour-intensive services.

Germany and the United Kingdom were the two largest Member States in the motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution sector in terms of value added and employment in 2006. While together they accounted for less than one third of the EU-27's employment (32.7 %), their combined value added share was close to half (46.5 %) the EU-27 total. In particular, Germany had a very high level of value added in this sector, resulting in it being the second most specialised Member State [1] in terms of this sector's contribution to non-financial business economy value added, exceeded only by Latvia.

The turnover index (in current prices) is presented for the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and for other activities. These two subsectors followed a similar development between 2001 and 2007, recording uninterrupted year on year growth within the EU-27. Over this six year period, they both averaged growth of about 5 % per year.

Expenditure and productivity

Just over two thirds of the EUR 20.7 billion worth of investment made within the EU-27’s motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution sector in 2006 was in the sale of motor vehicles subsector, a higher share than this subsector's contribution to value added. The investment rate for motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution as a whole was 14.0 % in 2006, the same rate as for motor trades as a whole. The sale of motor vehicles unsurprisingly had the highest investment rate among the four subsectors, reaching 16.1 %, still below the non-financial business economy average of 18.4 %. The lowest investment rates were recorded for the subsectors of maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and the sale of motor vehicle parts and accessories, both 10.9 %.

Apparent labour productivity per person employed in the EU-27’s motor vehicles and motorcycles distribution sector was EUR 39.5 thousand in 2006 and average personnel costs were EUR 26.9 thousand, both slightly above the motor trades average. Apparent labour productivity was particularly high for the sale of motor vehicles subsector, at EUR 52.9 thousand per person employed, which was just over double the level recorded in the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles subsector. Average personnel costs were also higher in the EU-27's sale of motor vehicles subsector, but less so than for the apparent labour productivity, resulting in a wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio (171.2 %) that was higher than that of any of the other subsectors of the motor trade sector.

Data sources and availability

The main part of the analysis in this article is derived from structural business statistics (SBS), including core, business statistics which are disseminated regularly, as well as information compiled on a multi-yearly basis, and the latest results from development projects.

Other data sources include short-term statistics (STS) and ACEA.

Context

The activities within this sector are very different in terms of the frequency of purchase of the goods and services offered. In contrast to the retail of automotive fuel, the purchase of motor vehicles is usually the result of a long-term process, the collection of information and comparison between different vehicles and different suppliers. However, retailing and repair of motor vehicles are to some extent substitutes, in that the purchase of a replacement vehicle may often be postponed, particularly in times of economic hardship.

The market for vehicles and motorcycles distribution is divided into different segments: passenger cars, motorcycles and caravans are often purchased by households, while large-scale business customers sometimes buy cars directly from manufacturers. However, business customers dominate the market for commercial vehicles and lorries.

Taxes can influence demand for motor vehicles and motorcycles, including taxes for the registration of a vehicle, as well as annual circulation taxes. The demand for new passenger cars is also closely linked to the general health of the economy, and the sharp decline in overall economic activity witnessed at the time of writing has been reflected in considerable falls in sales of new cars – as shown by the development over time of the number of new car registrations, which indicates a strong downward movement since the end of the third quarter of 2007.

In terms of the environment, the EU strategy for reducing emissions from cars has been based on voluntary commitments by car manufacturers, legislative controls, consumer information (car labelling) and fiscal measures to encourage purchases of more fuel-efficient cars.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Database

Dedicated section

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland and Romania, 2005; Malta and the Netherlands, not available.
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