A number of senior automaker officials have expressed their outlook for the industry in 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show this week, Reuters reports today (4th March).

The show has adopted a sombre tone this year against a rapidly-declining economic picture and plunging sales volumes, with fuel-efficient vehicles being brought into focus.

One of the major figures in attendance was Carlos Tavares, Executive Vice President of Nissan's Americas department, who suggested that companies will need to be cautious until demand begins to recover.

He told the news provider: "We would like to see the bottom (of the U.S. market) but so far it's not visible yet. Once we see three to four months of stabilisation we could say we have hit bottom."

Meanwhile, Renault Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata revealed that the firm has been boosted by a scrapping initiative in Germany, while Fiat Chief Executive Lorenzo Sistino is expecting Italian March sales figures "in line or slightly better than last year".

Jean-Louis Chamla, Head of International Relations at Citroen, was decidedly more pessimistic, saying that "the market could be even worse than we're saying today".

His views were shared by Mazda, whose European Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Guyton explained that the company is looking to protect its share in the European market.

"As long as consumers have as much uncertainty about jobs and prices as they do now, they are not going to be buying cars," he told the news provider.

Fellow Japanese powerhouse Toyota also outlined a similar strategy - to boost its share from 5.3 per cent to six per cent - with Executive Vice President Thierry Dombreval predicting a 25 per cent sales decline in western Europe.



Source:

Factbox: Auto executives' market perspectives (03/03/09)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/americasDealsNews/idUKTRE5227R020090303?sp=true