Frankfurt am Main – Limited opening hours, few available appointments, and consequently long wait and processing times: Applications are piling up at numerous vehicle registration offices across the country. In a joint initiative, IG Metall and the German Motor Trade Association (ZDK) are calling for the registration backlog to be cleared.
A survey of nearly 1,400 automotive businesses reveals their concerns. More than half of the businesses (52 percent) give the overall situation in vehicle registration a grade of 4 or 5 on a school grading scale.
“The wait time is costing both dealers and customers real money. Local policymakers must take urgent action to put an end to this situation,” demands Ralf Kutzner, executive board member of IG Metall. “This is creating unnecessary pressure on the entire automotive industry, from manufacturers to dealers. Employees in the automotive trade, in particular, are under additional strain due to this unsatisfactory situation.”
Not even a third of the businesses surveyed reported receiving an appointment at a registration office immediately after booking; nearly half wait between three days and a week. But that’s not the end of it. The processing time can also drag on. Nearly half of those surveyed reported a processing time of three days or longer.
Due to the long processing times, dealers must provide interim financing for vehicles that have been sold. Depending on the price and number of vehicles, this poses a significant problem for the industry. The ZDK is therefore calling for the use of modern technology. “The automotive industry is advocating for digital registration at dealerships. This would allow automotive businesses to ease the burden on the authorities. This is also in the interest of customers. However, as long as registration at dealerships is not yet possible, the relevant authorities should do everything they can to make waiting times at registration offices bearable for customers and car dealers,” said ZDK President Jürgen Karpinski.
Customers face an additional problem. Because registration offices typically close on December 23, many customers risk missing out on the reduced VAT rate—which is limited to the end of the year—due to the slow processing of registrations. Dealerships also view this period with concern. Over 58 percent of dealerships expect significant or very significant problems. Therefore, the ZDK and IG Metall are strongly urging the relevant authorities to ensure that vehicles can also be registered from December 28 through 30.
To the ZDK survey
Further information and press photos by Ralf Kutzner
