Monthly Review September 2021

Preface – Economic Climate

The Israeli economy is an advanced economy that belongs to the OECD organization. The GDP per capita is $ 48,536 and the growth rate in 2010-2019 was the average annual growth rate of 3.3% per year. At the beginning of the Corona crisis, the debt-to-GDP ratio was 60% one of the lowest in the Western world. The government deficit was 3.7% and the unemployment rate was 3.4%.

The Corona crisis has affected the Israeli economy as significantly as other economies in the world. The deficit in October 2020 – September 2021 is 7.4% from the GDP, the debt-to-GDP ratio is 71.8%. The unemployment rate rose to 5.3% but the unofficial unemployment rate climbed to about 7.9%. The new government gave a good signal to the markets by passing a new budget for the first time in 3 years. From a monetary point of view, the crisis is being managed professionally by the Bank of Israel, which is monitoring the local credit market and solving liquidity problems through plans to purchase bonds and keep interest rates low.

In September the fourth wave of corona virus continued to spread; however, the restrictions on the economy were minimal. The grant to businesses and unemployed workers was discontinued. As a result, the Israeli economy is functioning again and there was a decrease in unemployment. The fourth wave can cause a setback in the recent month's achievements. It is unclear whether Israel will be able to meet the target set by the chief economist of the Ministry of Finance, growth of 4.6% in 2021.

Along with economic stabilization, there has been an increase in the inflation rate, as of September the annual rate is 2.5%. The chief economist in the ministry of finance predicts a similar increase next year as well; an increase in prices and inflation is a factor that must be taken into account in the coming years.

Statistical Profile

Society

Population (Aaugust 2021): 9.394M

Economy

GDP per capita:  $48,536

Inflation (October 2020 – September 2021): 2.5%

Current Account Balance (Q2 2021): 5.41% of GDP

Trade in Goods and Services (September 2021): $9.94 billion

Finance

US Dollar Exchange rate (September 2021): NIS 3.21

Euro Exchange rate (September 2021): NIS 3.77

Long-term interest rates (September 2021): 0.84% Per Annum

Short-term interest rates (September 2021): 0.02% Per Annum

Government

Debt to GDP ratio (September 2021): 71.8%

Deficit to GDP (October 2020 – September 2021): 7.4%

Motorization

Level of Motorization (Q4 2020): 397 Vehicles/1,000 Residence

Innovation and Technology

Gross Domestic Spending on R&D (2019): 4.934% Of GDP

Environment

CO2 Emissions (2020): 6.290 Tones Per Capita

Jobs

Employment Rate (September 2021): 65.6% of Working Age Population

Official Unemployment Rate (September 2021): 5.3% of Labor Force

Unofficial Unemployment Rate (including non-paid absence due to Corona) (September 2021): 7.9%

New Cars and CV Registrations

Israel New Passenger Car Registration – January-September 2021

Passenger car registration: -32.9% compared with September 2020; Since January 2021, an increase of 37.9% compared with Jan-Sep 2020.

In September 2021, the Israeli passenger car market registered 12,375 new cars. This figure represents a decrease of 32.9% compared with September 2020. Since January, 248,900 new cars were registered – an increase of 37.9% compared with Jan-Sep 2020.

New Passenger Cars Registration in Israel 1-9/2021 According to Brands

New CV above 3.5 ton and Bus Registration in Israel 1-9/2021

Commercial Vehicles above 3.5 ton registration: +27.3% compared with September 2020; Since January 2021, an increase of 44.3%

In September 2021, the Israeli market for CV above 3.5 ton registered an increase of 27.3% in registrations with 1,101 new registrations, compared with 865 units in September 2020. Since January 2021, 13,569 new CV and buses were registered – an

increase of 44.3% compared with Jan-Sep 2020.

New CV above 3.5 ton Registration in Israel 1-9/2021 According to Brands

New Bus Registration in Israel 1-9/2021 According to Brands

Monthly review – Israel's Auto and Auto-Tech industry

FORD to support 8200 IMPACT Accelerator

FORD Innovation Center and FORD Fund will support 8200 IMPACT – the accelerator founded by 8200, IDF Intelligence Corps alumni. The accelerator operates as a non-profit organization and 8200 IMPACT provides start-ups with a 5 month intensive training led by successful entrepreneurs, mentors and investors. As of today, companies that graduated the program raised over 58M$. FORD and FORD Fund will collaborate with the program and aid entrepreneurs in developing technological solutions to social and environmental challenges. 

Lubinsky Group Buys 2.5% Shares of City Transformer

The official importer of Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, DS and MG to Israel, Lubinsky Group purchased 2.5% of the shares of City Transformer, the developer of a micro-electric urban car. According to CEO of Lubinsky, Dani Shavit, the company sees City Transformer as "The next big thing in electric urban transportation". The company that launched its micro-electric car in 2017, showed the CT-1 in the latest IAA exhibition in Munich earlier this year. The company also signed a 22M NIS deal for supplying vehicles to United Hatzalah, the largest independent, non-profit volunteer emergency medical service organization in Israel.

Guardian Optical Technologies Acquired by Gentex Corp

Guardian Optical Technologies is an Israeli start-up that pioneered a unique, multi-modal sensor technology designed to provide a comprehensive suite of Driver and Cabin Monitoring solutions for the automotive industry. The company was acquired by Gentex, a long-time supplier of electro-optical products for the global automotive, aerospace and fire protection industries. Gentex is best known for supplying nearly every major automaker with connected-car technologies and advanced electronic features that optimize driver vision and enhance driving safety. In the press release Gentex said the acquisition will "Further bolsters Gentex’s cabin monitoring expertise".

REE and Hino Win EPDA Award

The next-generation commercial mobility solution is to be jointly developed by Hino (Toyota truck arm) and Israeli REE, will be comprised of a modular EV platform (‘Powered by REE’) that will carry a customized Mobility Service Module. The module can carry passengers or goods, and will be enhanced with data-driven services. The Mobility Service Module can be easily detached from the EV platform and once detached it can serve as an independent, stand-alone unit, making services and goods more accessible to society. This product won the European Product Design Award (EPDA) as a "Top Design" in the Design for Society category.

Autotalks Launches Platform for Preventing Bike and Scooter Accidents 

Autotalks, an Israeli V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication solutions pioneer, is launching ZooZ, a micro-mobility safety platform for preventing bicycle and scooter accidents using V2X. The company is already discussing with manufacturing and integration partners the implementation of the platform. Autotalks is adapting its own V2X solutions to mitigate the sharp rise in accidents involving two-wheelers. The ZooZ concept platform is based on a V2X device and a smart sign. The compact device is installed on the handlebar of all types of bicycles and scooters, electric and non-electric. It alerts when a vehicle equipped with V2X is endangering a cyclist and informs other V2X equipped vehicles and smart signs about the existence of the cyclist. The ZooZ device will be integrated into bike computers. The smart sign reliably alerts drivers, even those without V2X, when a bike or scooter with a device is entering an intersection. All road-users, including cars, bikers, scooters, motorcycles, and pedestrians will communicate with each other through V2X to form a safety network.

GoTo Global Acquires German emmy

GoTo Global, the provider of multi-mobility solutions in Israel, Spain and Malta through an App, acquired German electric scooter sharing company emmy. GoTo Global offers customer access to a range of transport solutions: cars, vans, mopeds, scooters and bikes. The acquisition followed a recent finance of 22.5M$ from investors such as Adam Neuman, founder of WeWork.

Rise in EV Sales in Israel

Electric vehicles sales in Israel registered an increase of 400% in the first three quarters of 2021. Market share of EVs reached 3.2%, compared with 0.7% last year, with 8,000 new registrations. Tesla Model 3 leads the EV segment with 4,707 units, followed by MG ZS EV (1,181) and Airways U5 (280).