Market: Chip shortage reason for poor sales
NO END IN SIGHT The shortage of electronic products and semiconductors in automobile production caused a drastic slump in the market in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein in October as well.
Only 15,060 new passenger cars hit the roads in the two countries last calendar month - down 28.2 percent from 20,975 new cars in the same month last year.
Over the course of the year, the market is just 5.7 percent up on the heavily impacted Corona year 2020, with 195,133 new registrations. An improvement in the supply situation for new vehicles is not currently in sight.
Restricted supply stops demand
Auto-Schweiz media spokesman Christoph Wolnik: "The situation on the Swiss car market is currently not determined by demand, as is usually the case, but regrettably by limited supply. The supply of electronic components, especially semiconductor products, at the car manufacturers is massively stalled. As a result, the prospects for growth following the Corona slump last year are unlikely to materialize. In 2022, we will still clearly feel the effects of this crisis."
CO2 reduction targets take center stage
The bright spot is and remains the development of the market share of electric drives. In October, one in two new passenger cars had an alternative drive system (49.9%). Again, half of these can be charged via the power grid, i.e. are electric cars (14.5%) or plug-in hybrids (10.4%).
The other half is accounted for by full and mild hybrids as well as gas and hydrogen models. Car manufacturers continue to give preference to such engines in production and delivery so as not to jeopardize the achievement of CO2 reduction targets.
