Money Buzz! Europa

Tag: cars

  • Austria surpassed 7 million registered motor vehicles mark

    Austria surpassed 7 million registered motor vehicles mark

    7.1 million motor vehicles were registered as of 31 December 2020 in Austria, 1.5% or 102,592 more than on the same date in the previous year.

    As Statistics Austria further reports, passenger cars accounted for the largest share of the motor vehicle stock (71.7%) and increased by 1.0% to 5.09 million vehicles.

    The number of diesel-powered passenger cars decreased by 0.4% to 2.76 million (2019: -0.1%).

    Furthermore, those with petrol engines (incl. flex-fuel) increased by 0.7% to around 2.20 million (2019: +1.9%).

    Electric passenger cars recorded an increase of 50.8% (2019: +41.7%) to 44 507 vehicles.

    Passenger cars with combined drive systems (hybrid) increased (petrol/electric: +51.1%; diesel/electric: +133.0%).

    In 2020, VW dominated the Austrian streets again with 1,033,770 passenger cars (share: 20.3% of all registered passenger cars).

    German car makers complete top 3, as VW is followed by Audi with 385,372 passenger cars (share: 7.6%) and BMW with 317,582 passenger cars (share: 6.2%).

  • Austria: New passenger car registrations in 2020 at the lowest level since 1987

    Austria: New passenger car registrations in 2020 at the lowest level since 1987

    According to Statistics Austria, a total of 353.179 new motor vehicles were registered in 2020, 19.0% fewer than in 2019.

    New registrations of passenger cars decreased by 24.5% to 248.740. The number of newly registered lorries fell by 16.7% to 40.042.

    Tractors used for agriculture and forestry increased again in 2020 (+6.9%, 6.446 vehicles). New registrations of two-wheelers also increased significantly (+13.4% to 46.099).

    Increases in new electric and hybrid cars

    In 2020, registrations of new passenger cars fell to 248.740, the lowest level since 1987 (243.221) and also well below the twenty-year-average (313.297).

    Compared to 2019 (329.363 newly registered passenger cars), this was the highest year-on-year decline ever observed.

    New registrations of petrol-powered passenger cars (share: 43.3%) fell by 39.0% and those of diesel passenger cars (share: 36.5%) by 28.0%.

    The share of alternatively powered passenger cars – electric, natural gas, bivalent drive, combined drive (petrol or diesel hybrid) and hydrogen (fuel cell) – reached 20.1% in 2020 with 50.060 vehicles (+90.0%) (2019: 8.0%; 26.346 and 2018: 4.9%; 16.807).

    With a share of 10.2% of all new passenger car registrations or 25.380 vehicles (+105.5% compared to 2019), petrol/electric hybrid vehicles are the most important group among alternatively powered passenger cars; they are followed by passenger cars with electric drives (share: 6.4%; +72.8% to 15.972) and diesel/electric hybrid drives (share: 3.3%; +99.4% to 8.287).

    Primarily legal entities, companies and local authorities are registering new electric cars (share of all new electric car registrations: 81.6% or 13.040 vehicles).

    The highest number of new electric passenger cars was registered in Vienna and Lower Austria (shares of 18.5% and 18.4%, respectively), followed by Upper Austria (17.6%) and Styria (13.0%).

    SUVs ahead of compact class and small cars

    The preferred segment for new passenger car registrations in 2020 is the off-road vehicle or SUV (sport utility vehicle) with a share of 31.5% and 78.403 vehicles.

    SUVs are followed by compact cars with a share of 25.5% (63.333 vehicles) and small cars with a share of 19.5% (48.480 vehicles). Increases compared to 2019 were observed for sports cars (+57.3%, 3.345 vehicles).

    VW remains market leader in Austria

    The Top 10 brands in 2020 represent 67.5% of all new passenger car registrations.

    VW remained the market leader with a share of 15.4%, followed by Skoda (share: 9.5%) and Seat and BMW (share 6.4% each).

    Compared to the previous year, all Top 10 brands had double-digit declines (Opel -43.7%, Ford -27.6%, VW -27.3%, Renault -24.0%, Hyundai -22.6%, Seat -19.7%, BMW -17.4%, Mercedes -14.8%, Skoda -13.5%, Audi -12.8%).

    More than 7 million motor vehicles are registered in Austria

    As of December 31 2020, the provisional stock of motor vehicles in Austria exceeded the 7-million mark (approx. 7.1 million) for the first time.

    That is 1.5% more motor vehicles than in the previous year.

    Passenger cars, the most important vehicle type in terms of share (71.7%), accounted for approx. 5.1 million vehicles, an increase of 1.0%.

    A total of 512.101 lorries (+3.5%), 472.467 tractors used for agriculture and forestry (+0.9%) and 19.388 articulated lorries (+0.3%) were in the stock.

    Campers reached 32.675, an increase of 8.4%. Among single-track vehicles, there were 570.747 motorcycles (+3.8%) and 274.433 scooters (+0.7%).

  • German car market fell in 2020 to its lowest level since reunification

    German car market fell in 2020 to its lowest level since reunification

    The German car market fell in 2020 to its lowest level since reunification, as both car production and sales fell dramatically due to the pandemic, AFP reports.

    2.92 million new cars were registered last year in the largest European economy, down 19% compared to 2019, and car production fell to 3.5 million units, the lowest level in 45 years.

    The last time when less than three million cars were registered in Germany was in 1989.

    Even more, German car exports fell by 24% to 2.6 million vehicles last year.

    But there are some good signs ahead after new car registrations increased by 10% in December 2020.

  • EU new cars market: Hybrids at a 12.4% market share in Q3 2020

    EU new cars market: Hybrids at a 12.4% market share in Q3 2020

    In the third quarter of 2020, almost one in 10 passenger cars sold in the EU was an electrically-chargeable vehicle (9.9%), compared to 3.0% during the same period last year.

    During the third quarter, cars powered by conventional internal combustion engines lost further ground, with their overall market share going down from 88.6% in July-September 2019 to 75.4% this year.

    Diesel cars accounted for 27.8% of total passenger car sales in the European Union, with registrations falling by 13.7% to 766,146 units.

    Petrol sales posted an even stronger drop (-24.3%), going from over 1.7 million units last year to 1.3 million units in the third quarter of 2020.

    This represents a market share of 47.5%, with petrol going below the mark of 50% for the first time since 2016.

    With the exception of Cyprus, all EU markets saw declines in demand for petrol cars during the three-month period, including the four major markets.

    From July to September 2020, registrations of electrically-chargeable vehicles (ECV) more than tripled (+211.6%) to reach 273,809 units and a market share of 9.9%.

    This strong growth is mainly due to the introduction of incentives by national governments, seeking to boost demand in response to the corona crisis, which has been largely to the benefit of buyers of battery and plug-in electric cars.

    As a result, demand for plug-in hybrids (PHEV) boomed (+368.1%) during the third quarter, going from 29,557 units last year to 138,348 new cars sold in 2020. Both Germany and France recorded percentage increases of over 400% each.

    Growth in registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEV) was also strong across the European Union (+132.3%), totalling 135,461 units over the three-month period.

    Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) remained the bestselling alternatively-powered vehicle type in the EU, posting an increase of 88.8% in the third quarter of the year.

    In total, 341,092 hybrid electric cars were sold from July to September 2020, representing 12.4% of the EU car market.

  • New cars sales in the UK, at the lowest level since 2011 in October

    New cars sales in the UK, at the lowest level since 2011 in October

    New cars sales in the UK fell by 1.61% in October to 140.945 units, the lowest level since 2011 in October as a result of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19).

    The best-selling models in October are Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Puma.

    Demand for electric vehicles increased by 195.2% in October, while supplies of diesel and petrol vehicles fell by 38.4% and 21.3%, respectively.

    New cars sales in the United Kingdom fell by 31% in the first ten months of 2020 to 1.38 million units.

    Demand for electric vehicles increased by 168.7%, while deliveries of diesel and petrol vehicles fell by 55.1% and 38.9%, respectively.

    In the top of the best-selling models in January-October 2020 are Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

  • EU passenger car market registered the first increase of the year in September

    EU passenger car market registered the first increase of the year in September

    In September 2020, the EU passenger car market registered the first increase of the year. Registrations grew by 3.1% last month to reach 933,987 new cars sold across the European Union.

    The four largest markets, however, posted mixed results. Losses were seen in Spain (-13.5%) and France (-3.0%), while Italy (+9.5%) and Germany (+8.4%) showed solid gains.

    Over the first nine months of 2020, demand for cars contracted by 28.8% in the EU. Seven million units were registered from January to September, almost 2.9 million less than during the same period last year.

    Despite last month’s positive results, the impact of COVID-19 still weighs heavily on the cumulative performance of the EU car market.

    Among the major markets, Spain saw the steepest drop (-38.3%) so far this year, followed by Italy (-34.2%), France (-28.9%) and Germany (-25.5%).

  • Bulgarian car market has fallen by 24% for the first nine months of 2020

    Bulgarian car market has fallen by 24% for the first nine months of 2020

    Total sales of vehicles (cars and light commercial) in Bulgaria for January – September 2020 reached 157 thousand compared to 206 thousand a year earlier, Capital reports.

    Two-thirds of them are over 10 years old.

    The new cars market reported a decrease of almost 38%: from nearly 33.000 last year to 20.500 cars and light commercial vehicles in 2020. For used vehicles, the decline is smaller – 21%, to 136 thousand.

    Renault leads the top in new cars sales, with 2393 vehicles sold, followed by Dacia, Skoda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Nissan, Peugeot, KIA, BMW and Mercedes.

    The most used cars sold in Bulgaria are made by Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW.

  • Romania will have the fastest recovery of car sales in Central Europe

    Romania will have the fastest recovery of car sales in Central Europe

    Romania could record the largest decrease in sales of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicle (LCV) in Central Europe this year, of 24.3% compared to 2019, but will have a rapid recovery exceeding the pre-COVID crisis volume threshold until 2023, according to Autofacts report made by the PwC network at European level, based on IHS Markit data.

    Thus, estimates for the new cars and light commercial vehicles markets in Romania show a decrease from 181,000 units in 2019 to 137,000 units this year and, subsequently, an increase to 223,000 units in 2023.

    In Central Europe, Romania will have a decline comparable to Poland, which will also record a decrease of 24.3%. But Poland is estimated to have a slower recovery, and will remain below the level of 2019 in 2023.

    Thus, the smallest decrease would be registered by Hungary, of 19.6%, followed by Slovakia with 21.4% and the Czech Republic with 21.6%. Of these markets, only Slovakia will recover this year’s losses, and in 2023 car sales will exceed the level recorded in 2019.

    Overall, the market in Central Europe will decrease by 23% this year, reaching the level recorded in 2016, of 900,000 vehicles. In comparison, estimates for Western European markets show a contraction of 26%.

    Auto production development in Romania

    Regarding the production of vehicles in Romania, Autofacts and IHS estimates show a decrease of 16.3% this year, to 410,000 units, and an exponential increase until 2027, to 794,000 units, based on the plans of the two manufacturers – Ford and Renault.

    In 2019, Ford launched the production of the new Puma at the plant in Craiova and plans to add LCV volumes. In turn, Renault intends to increase the production volume of its plant in Pitesti, which, in addition, is expected to record the largest capacity utilization among factories in Central Europe.

    Romania ranks third in Central Europe after the decrease in car production this year, at the same level as Slovakia, by 16.1%. The steepest decline is expected for the Czech Republic, of 23.7%, followed by Hungary, with 18.5%. Polish production, on the other hand, will be the only one to grow slightly, with an estimated increase of 3.5%.

    Following the sharp decline in the second quarter, assembly volumes in Central Europe may generally fall by 22% by the end of the year.

    However, changes in models in European producer networks, a focus on light commercial vehicles in Central European factories and the launch of electric vehicle models could have a positive impact on the potential for production to return from 2024, according to Autofacts.

    Regarding the production of electric and hybrid vehicles in Central Europe, its prospects are positive, the share of assembly will reach 28% by 2027, from about 2% in 2019. However, it will be below 41% in Western Europe.

  • Czech automotive industry experienced a slight recovery in June 2020

    Czech automotive industry experienced a slight recovery in June 2020

    The Czech automotive industry experienced a slight recovery in June 2020, yet 32.5% fewer motor vehicles produced this year than in 2019.

    In June, bus manufacturers Iveco CR and SOR Libchava were particularly successful, achieving a significant growth of 12.7%.

    Cars

    A total of 503.615 passenger cars were produced in Czechia in the first half of the year, which is 32.6% less than in the same period of 2019.

    Skoda produced 337.580 (- 28.2%). The gradual increase in production caused by the coronavirus pandemic contributed to a gradual increase in its production in June, when the carmaker produced 73.991 more vehicles compared to previous months.

    Nošovický Huyndai produced a total of 96.390 cars (- 39.9%) in the first half of the year, while TPCA produced a total of 69.645 cars, 40.3% less than in the first half of last year.

    Buses and trucks

    In June 2019, Vysokomýtské Iveco produced 37 more buses than in June 2019. SOR Libchavy increased production by 73.3% in June and produced 223 buses.

    Together with KH Motor Centrum Opava, which has produced 9 buses since the beginning of the year, all manufacturers produced 516 buses in June (+ 12.7%).

    Tatra produced a total of 628 trucks in the first half of the year, 143 more than in the first half of last year (i.e. + 29.5%).

    Motorcycles

    The only motorcycle manufacturer, Týnecká JAWA, produced 249 motorcycles in the first half of the year. Compared to the previous year, it saw a decrease in production of 637 units (- 71.9 %).

    Trailers and semi-trailers

    The segment of trailers has not suffered much from the coronavirus pandemic so far.

    Total production in all categories increased slightly by 1.9% in the first half of the year to a total of 15.454 trailers.

    The positive development is mainly due to the increase in production of small trailers produced by Agados to a total of 14.363 vehicles (+ 2.5%).

    Schwarzmüller was successful in the category of large trailers with 908 units produced for January to June (+ 0.5%).

    PANAV, on the other hand, recorded a decrease, both in the trailer category (135 pcs; – 19.2%), and semi-trailers (48 pcs; – 38.5%).

  • Austria: Registrations of used passenger cars decreased by 11.5%

    Austria: Registrations of used passenger cars decreased by 11.5%

    A total of 385.780 used passenger cars was registered from January to June 2020, 11.5% less than in the first half of the previous year.

    According to Statistics Austria, used car registrations still increased in January (+3.7%) and February 2020 (+0.1%), but significantly decreased during the COVID-19 related lockdown in March (-48.7%) and April (-39.1%).

    The decline was already less pronounced in May (-3.2%), and used passenger car registrations rose again in June (+26.8%).

    Diesel-driven (share: 59.4%; -13.3%) and petrol-driven passenger cars (incl. flex-fuel; share: 38.5%; -10.4%) recorded declines compared to the first half of 2019; alternative drives achieved a share of 2.1% and increased by 40.8%.

    Among the top 10 passenger car makes, the number of used registrations declined for all brands: Opel (-17.3%), Ford (-13.7%), Peugeot (-13.1%), VW (-12.0%), Renault (-11.0%), Mercedes (-9.8%), Audi (-9.6%), Seat (-9.5%), BMW (-8.0%) and Skoda (-0.5%).

    9.5% less vehicle registrations from January to June 2020

    In the first half of 2020, 493 663 used motor vehicles were registered, 9.5% less than in the first half of 2019.

    The used commercial vehicle market recorded an increase of 7 vehicles for lorries category (cat.) N3, while there were declines for agricultural and forestry tractors (-0.9%), lorries cat. N1 (-1.1%), lorries cat. N2 (-20.5%) and articulated lorries (-15.0%).

    For used two-wheelers, fewer motorcycles (-0.2%) and scooters (-4.7%) were registered compared to the first half of 2019.

  • Half of the European consumers plan to postpone buying a new vehicle

    Half of the European consumers plan to postpone buying a new vehicle

    More than half of the European consumers (52%) plan to postpone buying a new vehicle and they will keep their current one longer than originally intended in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Deloitte State of Consumer Tracker.

    Respondents from Poland being the most cautious regarding the purchasing behavior (68%), followed by the Irish (61%) and the Spanish (60%). At the opposite end, only 32% of the Dutch have postponed their plans to buy a new vehicle.

    The survey was conducted on 18.000 respondents from 18 countries, including nine European states – Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and United Kingdom -, in the second half of June 2020.

    The study reveals that the pandemic also affects the sectors of services and products related to transportation, with ride-hailing companies being the most impacted, as almost half of the European consumers (45%) plan to limit the use of their services.

    Furthermore, the study indicates that air companies may have a slow recovery, as only 27% of Europeans feel safe flying right now. Also, more than a quarter of the Spanish, Italians, British and Irish plan to put off regular maintenance services and 8% of the Europeans intend to spend less on fuel in the next four weeks.

    The COVID-19 pandemic seems to increase the importance of vehicle ownership, as almost three quarters of the European consumers (72%) feel that owning a car is valuable during these times. In this context, more than half of the Europeans (54%) plan to limit the use of public transportation in the next three months.

    When it comes to preferred means of buying a vehicle, 25% of the British are willing to use online purchase channels, followed by Polish (22%) and Germans (21%).

  • Less cars were put into circulation in Greece in June 2020

    Less cars were put into circulation in Greece in June 2020

    The Hellenic Statistical Authority announces that in June 2020, 16.170 road motor cars (both new and used from abroad) were put into circulation for the first time.

    This was a 24.7% decrease compared with the corresponding month of 2019 when the number of road motor cars was 21.464.

    In June 2019, a 4.9% increase had been observed in comparison with the corresponding month of 2018. A total number of 8.678 new cars were put into circulation in June 2020 compared with 13.980 in June 2019, recording a 37.9% decrease.

    Less new motorcycles over 50cc in June 2020

    The new motorcycles over 50cc (both new and used from abroad) that were put into circulation for the first time in June 2020 amounted to 5.306, against 5.471 in 2019, thus recording a 3.0% decrease.

    In June 2019, a 3.2% increase had been observed in comparison with the corresponding month of 2018. Out of the above motorcycles 4,889 were new, while the corresponding figure in June 2019 was 5.041, recording a 3.0% decrease.