Restrictions on mobilization due to the number of plates, the fear of using public transportation and the increase in demand for delivery services explain the 8% growth that Guatemala's vehicle fleet experienced between 2019 and 2020.
Monday, January 18, 2021
As a result of the outbreak of covid-19, during the second quarter of 2020, Guatemalan authorities decided to suspend ground passenger transportation and also imposed restrictions on the mobility of vehicles with private plates, which were applied based on their license plate number.
The restrictions forced people to look for transportation options. Part of the population chose to buy private vehicles so as not to depend on public transportation and thus avoid getting caught up in other collective travel options, and another group bought cars with license plates that allowed them to drive every day of the week.
These phenomena increased the number of registered vehicles in the country, even when the local economy was plunged into a deep crisis, due to the fact that the productive activity was considerably affected by the quarantine decreed.
Data from the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT) show that at the end of 2020, 4.11 million vehicles were registered nationally, 8% more than the 3.79 million reported at the end of 2019.
Regarding the fiscal domicile of automobiles, it is estimated that one out of every two units are registered in the central region, which is comprised of the departments of Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango and El Progreso.
In this context of new commercial reality, motorcycle sales increased.
Cesar Amezquita, general manager of the Association of Motorcycle Importers (Asim), explained to Prensalibre.com that, in 2020, "... new plates were issued for 242 thousand motorcycle units (including new and used). The commercialization of motorcycles had an increase between 15 to 20% in 2020, and the union members, reporting 228 thousand new units."
When the pandemic began, there was a contraction in sales, but then there was a rebound, closing with more than projected, said Amezquita.
According to the Asim director, the "... mobilization restrictions due to the number of plates, the fear of traveling on public transport and getting infected, and the dynamics of more home deliveries in various productive activities, motivated people to acquire a unit. In addition, many people became unemployed and opted for self-employment in home deliveries and services to businesses or households."
Between the first four-month period of 2020 and the same period of 2021, vehicle sales in the local market increased by 20%, a rise that is largely explained by the behavior of marketed units of cars and SUVs.
The Office of the General Comptroller of the Republic reported that between April 2020 and the same month of 2021, the number of new units registered in the country increased 2,634%, going from 117 to 3,199.
During the first seven months of the year, 26,188 vehicles were imported to El Salvador, of which 18% were new units and 82% were used. Second-hand cars are still in demand in this new business scenario.
According to representatives of the Association of Vehicle and Automotive Parts Importers (Asiversa), the demand for used vehicles has been maintained in this context of economic crisis, but sales have fallen due to the drop in prices.
After 198,000 motorcycles were sold in the country in 2019, local businessmen forecast that during 2020 the number of units sold could increase between 12% and 17%.
Data from the Association of Motorcycle Importers (Asim) indicate that on average 16,500 motorcycles are sold in the Guatemalan market per month, but only in February 2020 sales exceeded 19,000 units.
In recent years, the number of motorcycles in Guatemala has increased by 13%, from 1.33 million units registered in July 2017 to 1.5 million reported in the same month in 2019.
According to data from the Tax Registry of Vehicles of the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT), up to July 2019 the country's active vehicle fleet registered 3.76 million units, of which 40% corresponded to motorcycle type vehicles.
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