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Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers in Germany Industry Data and Analysis
The wholesale and retail sector for cars and motor vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes has stagnated over the last five years. The steady rise in net monthly household income increased the potential for increased investment in cars. However, the economic conditions deteriorated due to the coronavirus crisis, which reduced demand for cars, especially in 2020. In addition, bricks-and-mortar retailers had to remain closed at times or were only allowed to open under strict conditions. This led to a slump in sales in 2020. Subsequently, the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine only had a slight negative impact on the car trade. In 2024 and 2025, the poor economic development in Germany and the weakening demand for e-cars had a negative impact on the German car trade and its profit margin. Industry turnover stagnated between 2020 and 2025 and is expected to fall by 3% to 233.8 billion euros in the current year.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released August 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany operates under the WZ industry code G45.11DE. Companies in this sector are active both in trade brokerage and in wholesale and retail. Their area of activity includes the trade in new and used motor vehicles such as passenger cars, including special vehicles, and light commercial vehicles and trailers that do not exceed a total weight of 3.5 tonnes. This does not include the trade in motor vehicle parts and accessories or the hire of passenger cars. Related terms covered in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany include sport utility vehicle (suv), utilities, abgasnorm and hybrid vehicle.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany include SUVs, vans and off-road vehicles, Compact class car and Utilities and lorries up to 3.5 t.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany include VGRD GmbH, Emil Frey Automobil Holding Deutschland GmbH and Volvo Car Germany GmbH.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany in 2026?
The market size of the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany is €233.8bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany in 2025?
There are 34,479 businesses in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany, which has grown at a CAGR of 0.1 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany?
The Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany?
The Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany has been declining at a CAGR of 0.0 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany?
The biggest companies operating in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany are VGRD GmbH, Emil Frey Automobil Holding Deutschland GmbH and Volvo Car Germany GmbH
What does the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany include?
SUVs, vans and off-road vehicles and Compact class car are part of the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany?
The company holding the most market share in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany is VGRD GmbH.
How competitive is the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany?
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers industry in Germany.
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