Market: plug-in vehicles boost sales

At four percent, hybrid models that have an external charging option have quadrupled their market share in Switzerland within a year. Together with purely electric cars, the share of plug-in vehicles was 8.1 percent in February and 7.9 percent since the beginning of the year. Auto-Schweiz's "10/20" target, according to which every tenth new passenger car should be rechargeable via the power grid in the current year, is therefore within sight.

Noticeably growing demand
It is not only plug-in vehicles that can benefit from the noticeable growth in demand for alternative drives. Of the 19,108 newly registered vehicles in February (down 13.8 percent on the previous year), 3636 or 19 percent are not powered by an internal combustion engine or not powered only by an internal combustion engine.

Difficult overall situation
In a difficult overall market situation at the start of the year (cumulative minus 12.1 percent year-on-year), the strong growth in the alternative share is an important pillar.

Auto-Schweiz media spokesman Christoph Wolnik: "All alternative drive types have seen strong growth since the beginning of the year, be it gas cars, hybrid engines, plug-in vehicles or models with fuel cells."

Supply chains are still stable
It is not yet possible to predict what impact the increasing spread of coronavirus in Europe and the world will have on the Swiss market.

Christoph Wolnik: "The supply chains of manufacturers and importers are still stable. At present, we are not aware of any restrictions on the availability of models. Possible consequences due to the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show cannot yet be assessed either."

car.swiss