The forecast for 2015 went through the roof

During 2015 both the branch organization Bil Sweden and Port of Södertälje reported on the increased volumes of imported cars to Sweden. The forecast made for 2015 has passed all expectations with a total of 110 000 imported cars passing through Port of Södertälje.

Car transports via rail increased by an impressive 65 percent and the share of cars transported by sea saw a 20 percent increase compared to the previous year. On a positive note for the environment, the number of imported eco-cars that emit a lower level of emission also noted an increase. New registrations of so-called ‘super eco-cars’, mainly electric and hybrid models, increased by 84 percent in Sweden during 2015.

- June, July, October and November were the months the major number of cars arrived here at port, says Tommy Flink, production manager at Port of Södertälje. November was the best month by far with a total of 12 000 cars delivered. When things get this hectic we have to call in extra personnel to be able to quickly off-load all the vehicles.

There are several reasons that the increased imports of newly- registered cars is beneficial for Sweden. It’s both good for growth and good for employment figures. BNP figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that households’ expenditure, for example the purchase of a new car, is a central factor behind the continued growth in the Swedish economy.

Another factor is that older cars with a poorer environmental footprint, coupled with poor road safety performance, are now replaced with more environmentally-friendly alternatives. The increase of car imports also show that Sweden is doing well. Swedish GDP increased in 2015 and is expected to continue to increase this year.

- Using imported car statistics is almost like taking Sweden’s pulse, says Per Fredman, sales manager at Port of Södertälje. We can see directly from the volumes we import that households have more money to spend, especially with today’s low interest rates. Sweden was doing well last year and it looks like the trend is going to stay this year too.

The first two months of the year started well for the port. January turned out to be the best January since 2012 and February was the second-best month ever with a total of 11 788 cars handled at port. Port of Södertälje forecasts that car volumes will be the same as for 2015, with at least 110 000 imported cars.