Corona Pandemic Hampers Production of Motor Caravans and Caravans

The demand for motor caravans and caravans made in Germany was also high in 2020. The only problem was that some manufacturers were unable to meet this demand. This was because the Coronavirus caused supply chains to come to a standstill last spring and some factories had to close temporarily to combat the pandemic. This backlog could not be made up and led to a 6.9 percent drop in the number of leisure vehicles produced in Germany. Nevertheless, a total of 115,844 models still rolled off the production lines of German leisure vehicle manufacturers last year. The production of motor caravans fell slightly to 75,276 vehicles. This is only 2.2 per cent less than in the record year 2019. 40,568 caravans were also produced – 14.5 per cent less than in the previous year.

Exports fall due to Corona – increase expected for 2021

The reduced output also caused exports to fall by 9.8 per cent compared to 2019. The weakening foreign business is also partly due to the declining or stagnating developments in some European caravanning markets. Tough lockdowns to contain the coronavirus and the economic consequences of the pandemic prevented a more positive market development in some parts of Europe. A total of 46,136 vehicles were exported in 2020. 28,336 of these were motor caravans. Exports in this vehicle segment, thus, declined by 8.0 percent. In addition, 17,800 caravans were exported. This means a decline of 12.6 percent compared to the previous year. Despite this development, four out of ten vehicles produced in Germany continue to be exported. 39.2 percent of German motor caravans leave the factories for foreign countries. For caravans, the export rate is as high as 43.9 percent.

“The Corona pandemic has significantly hampered production in our industry. To protect the workforce, many plants had to close temporarily in the spring and numerous components from suppliers were not available, which cost us a month’s output. As a result, we were partly unable to meet the high demand for motor caravans and caravans,” explains Daniel Onggowinarso, Managing Director of the caravanning industry association CIVD. “For 2021, we expect a further normalisation and a significant increase in production, which will also have a positive effect on the export business. New registrations in large parts of Europe are rising again or will remain high, and German manufacturers in particular will benefit from this, as they are the market leaders in Europe,” continues Onggowinarso.

This press release contains estimated figures as at 15 January 2021.