auto-schweiz: Market stable with slight growth
In the first three months of 2017, 72,769 new cars were registered on the roads of Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. This means that the car market grew by 1.1 percent compared to the previous year. According to the latest statistics from auto-schweiz, March contributed significantly to this growth with 30,509 registrations and an increase of 4.8 percent [...]
According to the latest statistics from auto-schweiz, March contributed significantly to the positive result of the last twelve months with 30,509 registrations and an increase of 4.8 percent. Overall, the market is stable with a slight upward trend.
Switzerland top in 4×4
The all-wheel-drive boom continues after the 4×4 top spot in Europe was defended again in 2016. After three months, the share of four-wheel-drive passenger cars stands at 46.8%, meaning that the market is heading for its eighth record year in a row. Switzerland is and remains the number one four-wheel drive country in Europe. No other EU and EFTA country apart from Switzerland exceeded the 40 percent mark.
High purchasing power
„It has become clear time and again that we have a unique market for passenger cars here," explains auto-schweiz Director Andreas Burgener. "Switzerland has a high purchasing power, Switzerland has high mountains. Both of these factors create a stronger demand for safety equipment than elsewhere. This must be taken into account when introducing the new CO2 regulations for new cars from 2020," continued Burgener. Otherwise, Switzerland risks putting itself at a disadvantage by adopting the EU regulations.
Grow alternative
Alternative drive systems performed very well in the first quarter, accounting for 4.9% of the overall market (+0.3 percentage points). In terms of unit sales, there was a significant increase of 8.7 percent, with all-electric vehicles benefiting in particular (+36.2 percent). In the first three months of the year, more than 1100 new electric cars with and without range extenders were registered. The market shares of diesel (38.2%) and petrol hybrids (3.1%) are roughly at the same level as last year.
