Despite the current rate of tourism growth throughout the Canary Islands at the beginning of this year, there is a sector that is not managing to get back on its feet on the island of Lanzarote, namely the automotive sector.
The coronavirus pandemic put the sector in check, causing unprecedented logistics and supply problems, mainly due to the lack of microchips.
However, last month's data indicate an increase in the number of registered cars, which might lead one to think that the recovery is getting closer and closer, but sources in the sector confirm that the reality is very different.
Specifically, registrations of passenger cars and 4x4s in Lanzarote increased by 156.57% in February compared to the same month last year, from 175 registrations to 449, data very similar to those of 2019, according to Gestoría Carrizal.
However, this increase would be conditioned by the arrival of a ship with the vehicles requested in previous months, so the numbers are not really representative of sales in the month of February.
"The trap is in maritime transport," explain sources from Gestoría Carrizal. "Sales have been the same as in previous months, they have not increased because people have rushed to buy. It has been an increase for computer purposes."
Sources in the sector are confident that in Lanzarote the recovery could begin to be noticed in the second half of the year, in which it is expected that the supply of semiconductors can be normalized, if no new complications arise from the war in Ukraine.
Slight increases throughout the Canary Islands
In the archipelago as a whole, registrations increased by 79%, with a total of 3,602 units registered, according to Faconauto.
“We are seeing how the reactivation of tourism is also reflected in our sector. We are moving forward, but at a slower pace than we would like due to the lack of stock we are suffering due to the semiconductor crisis,” explains Manuel Sánchez, president of the Canarian employers' association. Added to this are the economic consequences derived from the health crisis and the new uncertainty marked by the current war between Russia and Ukraine.
Faconauto Canarias anticipates that in 2022 numbers prior to the pandemic will not be reached.
