European Carmakers Produce More SUVs in Times of Recession
European car makers are having a difficult time selling cars in the days of an economic recession. While normal car sales are moving down, the sales of SUVs are going up. Almost 300,000 SUVs are being sold in Europe this year and the continent's car producers all want a share of the cake.
Car makers are switching their focus to SUVs because they are more expensive for consumers and more profits can be made. Peugeot's new SUV, for example, will be priced at 16,000 Euros.
Across Europe the sales of cars decreased by 8% during the previous year. Car companies are cutting costs wherever they can and are forming alliances with other car makers to survive. Peugeot, for example, is already cooperating with General Motors. Currently the French car maker wants to set free 8,000 of its 100,000 workers. The company's managers threaten to close plants to stay competitive.
While European car producers are only producing at a little over 60% of their maximum output, costs stay the same. Experts predict that it will take the car industry up to 5 years to recover from the current economic slump.
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Words
- alliance = partnership with another company
- competitive = here: to be able to sell something at the same price as other companies
- consumer = a person who buys something
- cooperate = work together
- currently = at the moment
- cut costs = bring down what you spend on something
- decrease = to go down
- economic recession = when business goes down and not many products can be sold
- focus = spotlight
- maximum output = as much as you are able to produce
- plant = factory
- predict = to say that something will happen
- previous = the one before
- priced = cost
- profits = money
- recover = to do better
- sales = the selling of
- set free = here: lose your job, to be out of work
- share = part
- slump = here: a time when business is bad
- survive = here: stay in business after a bad economic period
- SUV = sport utility vehicle = bigger car that can travel over rougher ground
- switch = change
- threaten = warn