Sales of passenger cars and SUVs in Spain stood at 813,396 units during 2022, which represents a decrease of 5.4% compared to the figures for 2021, more than expected by organizations in the sector than in their latest forecasts. They pointed to a decrease of 3% and 830,000 units.
This greater decrease is explained by the poor behavior of sales in the month of December, with a drop of 14.1% compared to the same month of 2021, which is attributed to problems with transport, particularly from the ports, which have prevented that "thousands of vehicles" arrive at dealerships due to a lack of sufficient trucks, as denounced by Anfac (manufacturers), Faconauto (dealerships) and Ganvam (sellers).
“In any case, 2022 has been a difficult year for car sales marked by factors such as the war in Ukraine, the increase in energy and fuel costs or the increase in inflation and interest rates that have conditioned the purchase decision of the users”, added the mentioned organizations.
At the end of the year, the dominance of three Asian brands has been confirmed, led by Toyota, which has managed to increase its sales by 18%. They are followed by the Korean Kia and Hyundai, while two of the traditional leaders such as Seat and Renault have been relegated to sixth and seventh places, respectively. By models, the Hyundai Tucson has consolidated the leadership it had been maintaining throughout the year, with 21,985. What follows are the Dacia Sandero, the Seat Arona and the Toyota Corolla.
Regarding registrations by channels, they reflect the economic situation, with uncertainty in private consumption and a decrease in sales to individuals of 1.7% and 366,364 units. For its part, the business channel, despite the drop recorded in December, managed to close the year with an increase of 4.1% and 348,144 registrations. Rent a car registered a drop of 35%.
