The Italy of the car “rebounds”. Since January it has gained almost 27% thanks to the fourth consecutive growth: +29% in April with around 126,000 new cars registered (just under 553,000 so far in 2023). But the market is still almost a quarter below 2019 levels, the last year before the pandemic, the semiconductor crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The cautious optimism is linked to the continuity of supplies: “We have the cars that we can finally deliver to customers and companies that have been waiting for a long time,” summarizes Michele Crisci, president of UNRAE, the association that represents foreign manufacturers in Italy.
“We are clearing the arrears”, urges Adolfo de Stefani Cosentino, president of Federauto. Paolo Scudieri, number one of ANFIA, the organization of national manufacturers, adds that the strong growth is also due “to the comparison with April 2022 which had closed with a sharp drop (-33%) due to the expectation of the actual entry into force of the incentive measures”.
Estimates for 2023 have just been revised upwards in Europe and also in Italy, perhaps approaching one and a half million cars (1,470 / 1,480). But the positive numbers hide at least part of the problems. In fact, the rebound also concerned CO2 emissions: last month they grew by another 2.9%, also taking houses away from the objectives set by the European Union: even before the “0” quota, by 2030 they will have to go down by 55% compared to 91 grams in 2021. On the other hand, sales of electric vehicles have not rebounded, the only ones that according to current decisions can be marketed from 2035 onwards.
Despite the incentives, which all the organizations are asking to be extended to companies as well and not limited to private individuals (for whom it is also economically difficult to afford a zero-emission model), the penetration of electric cars is almost irrelevant: 3.2% in the month and 3.7% in the quarter.
Several brands posted triple-digit growth in April. With 740 registrations, Tesla has risen by 2,641%, although from January onwards it has grown “only” by 280%. The British MG, controlled by the Chinese SAIC, registered 3,029 cars, 478% more than a year ago with a share of 2.4%: penetration in the quarter is 1.4% with an increase of 344% (no one has done better). During the month, other increases in giant format were accounted for by Maserati (+206%) and Alfa Romeo (+155%) which contributed to the +24.7% of the Stellantis group, whose market share however fell in the four months from 36.4 to 34.1%. In addition to the Japanese Suzuki (+145%), the “Chinese” Lynk & Co (+161%), DR (+101%) also more than doubled their volumes. Few negative brands: among those that suffered the most in April are Honda (-69%), Jaguar (-50%) and Land Rover (-49%).
As usual, the Fiat Panda was confirmed as the best-selling model: 7,367 units in the month (twice as many as the second, the 500, in an all-Italian podium completed by the Lancia Ypsilon) and 35,658 since the beginning of the year. In the quarter, however, the place of honor is occupied by the Sandero, one of the two Dacias in the Top 10 (the other is the Duster, eighth).
