German Demand for New Cars Outstrips Supply

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 28, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
German Demand for New Cars Outstrips Supply
Thanks to a government plan to reimburse used car owners for their old vehicles, German car dealerships are inundated with buyers.   (Shutterstock)

German auto dealers are mulling a problem that their counterparts around the world would love to have: A crushing demand for new cars. New auto sales shot up 21% in February, and could go higher this month, the Christian Science Monitor reports, thanks to the government’s “scrapping bonus,” which gives consumers about $3,300 if they return their old car and buy a new one.

Now the wait for a new car at many dealerships can stretch on for months. “We thought we had enough for the whole year,” said one Ford salesman. “Back in December, we would never have imagined anything like this.” (More Germany stories.)

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