Figures from the Faconauto dealers association show that for every new car sold in the Balearics in 2021, three secondhand cars were sold. Sales turnover for the secondhand market was up 16%, while overall turnover for the sector in the Balearics grew by 2.2% to 752 million euros.
The drop in the new car market was 6.9% - a total of 17,076 cars. This was greater than a national average decrease of 5.4%. By contrast, 51,981 secondhand cars were sold.
A reason for the fall in new car sales was a shortage of supply, the consequence of manufacturers having been affected by their own supplies, microchips in particular.
The percentage increase in the sale of secondhand cars in the Balearics was the second highest in the country after Madrid (19.4%). The national average was 9%. Meanwhile, sales turnover for maintenance was up 13%. The sales values for maintenance and secondhand cars were similar to what they were prior to the pandemic.
In terms of employment, there were 4,403 people working for dealers in the Balearics at the end of 2021, only slightly below the number in 2020 - 4,505 in 2020.
The president of Faconauto, Gerardo Pérez, views the figures positively and points to the resilience of a sector affected by the Covid-related economic slump. He believes that dealers will be in a position to recruit over the coming years and to provide more training because of changes in the market, e.g. more electric vehicles.