Despite difficult conditions: Caravanning industry records strong first quarter

Enthusiasm for caravanning continues to be strong, as shown by the high demand for motor caravans and caravans. A total of 23,061 new leisure vehicles were registered in the first quarter of the year. This represents a drop of around 4.8 percent compared to the exceptional year of 2021, but numbers are still above the record figures from 2019 and 2020. With 17,485 newly registered units, motor caravans recorded a decline of 8.3 percent. Caravans posted a 7.9 percent increase with 5,576 new registrations.

Promising start to the year

Despite a lack of vehicle chassis, components and an overall shortage of materials, both motor caravans and caravans were able to top last year’s results in January and February. The increase in caravans is a pleasing development, as this segment had suffered particularly from supply chain problems in the previous year. However, the course towards a new record for the first quarter was halted in March. In addition to the ongoing problems in the supply chains, this was also due to the delayed Easter business, whose results will not be visible until April. Although the March figures for both motor caravans and caravans were in the red, motor caravans still achieved the second-best March result of all time despite all the hurdles.

Caravanning industry defies difficult conditions

“The faltering supply chains continue to cause the caravanning industry a lot of trouble. Dealers and customers are currently forced to wait longer for their vehicles due to a lack of materials and components,” says Daniel Onggowinarso, Managing Director of Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD). “Given these challenges, the new registration figures for the first quarter are all the more remarkable and proof that manufacturers and suppliers are pulling out all the stops available to meet the high demand for motor caravans and caravans,” Onggowinarso concludes.