Sales: Commercial vehicles are out of the woods
IT'S GOING UP The number of new commercial vehicles in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein grew by 19.1 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. 42,243 new registrations represent an increase of 6,769 vans.
With this pleasing number of new registrations, the Swiss commercial vehicle market can finally put the effects of the Covid crisis behind it without losing sight of the record figures for new motorhomes in the camping boom. For 2024, auto-schweiz expects the market volume to be similar to the previous year, as the economic situation is proving to be robust.
Alternative drive systems
From January to December 2023, a total of 30,257 new light commercial vehicles were put on the road, 21.5% more than in 2022. As with passenger cars, the delivery difficulties from the previous year were hardly noticeable. The 30,000 mark was exceeded for the first time since 2019. 3995 of these have an alternative drive system, which corresponds to an increase of 59.7% compared to 2022. Electric vans make up the majority, at 3,813, with their market share rising from 9.3% to 12.6%.
Brummis with a strong result
The heavy commercial vehicle segment also had a brilliant year. 4369 new registrations represent an increase of 26.7 percent compared to 2022. This means that 2023 was even better than 2019 with 4291 vehicles.
Christoph Wolnik, auto-schweiz media spokesman: "The commercial vehicle market has put the Covid crisis and its negative effects behind it. The Swiss economy is also expected to grow in 2024, albeit less strongly than in 2023. In addition, the rapidly growing range of heavy commercial vehicles with alternative drive systems is attracting more and more interest. In 2023, around one in ten new trucks was powered by electricity, natural gas or hydrogen, including 383 battery-electric e-trucks alone."
Demand for mobile homes
In 2023, 6588 new campers were registered - 142 or 2.2 percent more than in 2022, but exactly 1000 vehicles fewer than in the (coronavirus) record year of 2021. There was also growth in buses, cars, minibuses and other passenger transport vehicles.
Together with the 252,214 new passenger cars, 294,457 new motor vehicles were put on the road in Switzerland and Liechtenstein in 2023.
