On average, second-hand vehicles stand for 99 days
OCCASIONS Record-breaking new registrations in December (35,325 PW; +8.2%) helped the passenger car market in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein to close the year with a total of 317,318 new cars sold, meeting the expectations of market experts. Despite a slight slowdown in the second half of the year, a total of 873,586 changes of ownership were registered for used cars by the end of 2016. 13,747 more used cars than in the [...]
13,747 more passenger cars were sold than in the previous year (+1.6%). Eurotax had forecast 875,000 cars, which was slightly lower. The supply of used cars increased due to the large number of new vehicles, which is why average idle times rose again year-on-year. Currently, a used car is parked for an average of 99 days (+4.2%).
For 2017, the market experts at Eurotax expect demand for new cars to normalize and a slight increase in used car sales, assuming that economic conditions remain unchanged. Specifically, this means 310,000 to 315,000 new registrations and 880,000 to 890,000 changes of ownership.
Urs Wernli, Central President Auto Gewerbe Verband Schweiz (AGVS), looks back on 2016 with respect for the achievements of garage owners in the past year: "Our members have once again proven that they know how to master difficult conditions. Ongoing training, considerable investments in showroom, workshop, customer-oriented services and back office are the cornerstones of this success."
Top 10 brands in the new and used car market (CH + FL) according to Eurotax
Survey period: January to December 2016 (2015 ranking in parentheses)
| Rank | New car | +/- % | Market share |
| 1 | Volkswagen (1) | -0,2% | 13,3% |
| 2 | BMW (2) | 2,8% | 7,8% |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz (3) | 4,2% | 7,5% |
| 4 | Skoda (5) | 0,4% | 6,6% |
| 5 | Audi (4) | -11,9% | 6,2% |
| 6 | Renault (6) | -3,5% | 4,5% |
| 7 | Opel (7) | -4,2% | 4,2% |
| 8 | Ford (8) | -4,5% | 4,1% |
| 9 | Peugeot (9) | -17,5% | 3,3% |
| 10 | Toyota (-) | 5,1% | 3,3% |
| Total | Ø -2.2% | 60,7% |
| Occasions | +/- % | Market share |
| Volkswagen (1) | 1,2% | 13,9% |
| Audi (2) | -2,7% | 7,5% |
| BMW (3) | 3,6% | 7,1% |
| Mercedes-Benz (5) | 6.4% | 6,4% |
| Opel (4) | -2,5% | 6,3% |
| Renault (6) | 1,3% | 5,1% |
| Peugeot (7) | 2,3% | 4,7% |
| Ford (8) | 2,7% | 4,6% |
| Fiat (9) | -1,6% | 3,7% |
| Toyota (10) | -1,6% | 3,7% |
| Total | Ø 0.9% | 62,8% |
Comparis explains what you should look out for when buying second-hand:
