Market: All-time high for alternative drives
IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER Last year, 24 percent fewer cars were sold than in 2019. By contrast, 66,687 vehicles with alternative drive systems hit the roads, 63.8 percent more than the previous year. Corona has provided the worst result in the car market in Switzerland and Liechtenstein in over 40 years. Only 236,828 passenger cars [...]
Corona has ensured the worst result on the car market in Switzerland and Liechtenstein in over 40 years. Only 236,828 new passenger cars hit the road in 2020 - the lowest number since the oil crisis of the 1970s.
According to the importers association auto schweiz, the decrease compared to 2019 amounts to 24 percent or 74,638 registrations of new passenger cars.
Models with plug-in hybrid very successful
However, the 28.2 percent market share of alternative drive systems represents a positive record. This even exceeded the importers' association's "10/20" target of a ten percent share of electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 4.3 percentage points.
A total of 66,687 vehicles with alternative drive systems hit the road in the past year. This growth is primarily attributable to plug-in hybrids, but purely electrically powered models and self-charging hybrid cars also made strong gains. In addition, 42 hydrogen electric cars were redeemed, 17 more than in 2019.
However, models powered by natural gas were unable to match the level of previous years. Diesel engines accounted for 51,823 new registrations, a decline of 34.7 percent. Its market share was thus still 21.9 percent.
Every second new car has all-wheel drive
Every second new car in 2020 has all-wheel drive. However, the 4×4 market share declined by 1.4 percentage points to 50 percent compared with 2019.
Auto-Schweiz media spokesman Christoph Wolnik: "The more than commanding achievement of 10/20 is one of the few highlights of the Swiss car year 2020. We are pleased that the critical production and delivery situation for models with alternative drive systems has eased after the first wave of pandemics in the spring. Nevertheless, as expected, massive CO2 penalties will be due for the past year."
Expansion of the charging infrastructure are obstacles
Christoph Wolnik on the outlook for the new year: "The model selection will not continue to grow as quickly as it did in 2020; moreover, many customers are still reluctant to buy drives without combustion engines. The mostly low subsidies combined with the too-slow expansion of the charging infrastructure are still obstacles that need to be overcome."
