VEHICLE STOCK, WHAT'S GOING ON?

Publication date: 2022, November 11

There is no doubt that our sector has been experiencing strong growth over the last few years, which has increased in recent months. The Covid 19 health crisis increased the pace of this growth, as many people saw in this way of travelling a very attractive alternative, which guaranteed them a freedom and security that conventional tourism did not offer them. As a result, the caravanning world was one of the few to emerge stronger from the crisis.

A few months later, however, we find that registrations of new motorhomes and campers have come to a screeching halt, while, on the other hand, interest and demand are growing.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Some of you have asked us why there are so many delays in the delivery of new vehicles, so we thought we would do this blog to try to let you know the reasons for these delays, which make some people wait up to almost a year to be able to enjoy their vehicle.

LACK OF SUPPLY

As we have already mentioned, the Covid 19 caused the closure of dozens of factories in a large part of Europe, which led to a shortage of important parts such as tables, washbasins, kitchens, windows, etc... When production was resumed, there was a huge bottleneck that took about 6 months to be solved. But far from improving, the situation worsened with the industrial crisis of microchips and electronic components; and now the lack of chassis has been added.

                                                                                  Adria assembly line in Slovenia

The lack of these chassis, on which these vehicles are mounted, means that production cannot progress and has been reduced by 50-60% of its average capacity. Many factories of very important brands in the sector, such as Mercedes, Fiat or Ford, are being forced to shut down their assembly lines for weeks at a time because they are unable to supply components.

LACK OF STOCK

Everything we have already explained results in a lack of stock at the dealerships that supply the finished product to the customer. This in turn leads to delays in the delivery of vehicles and higher prices, which are constantly rising due to the high cost of energy and the shortage of components.

The lack of information from the factories about the dates of service means that we are also unable to specify the delivery date to the customer, which, together with the aforementioned price increases, is causing a great deal of dissatisfaction among the latter.

                                                                Panoramic view of the Benimar factory in Peñíscola

This high price has caused many potential customers to turn to the second-hand market, only to find that the price of these used vehicles has also increased by 20-30%.

And here, as on other occasions, we would like to make an aside and warn that this whole situation is the perfect breeding ground for the proliferation of fraud. Caravanas Cruz always recommends that you go to authorised places or get advice from ASEICAR.

In short, what looked like it was going to be a record sales year in the history of caravanning in our country, has turned into the "perfect storm", which is preventing the sector from developing as planned and the current situation is not what dealers and customers would like it to be.

But we want to be positive, and we think that when the lack of product and the international economy stabilises, the growth trend that caravanning was experiencing will recover, as there is a lot of interest among the general public and many potential customers who want to start enjoying this way of travelling.

We invite you not to give up in your efforts to get the vehicle of your dreams, because, who knows, maybe it is waiting for you here at Caravanas Cruz.

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