Swiss auto market gets off to a solid start in the second half of the year
In July, 18,599 new passenger cars were put into circulation in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. The level of new registrations is thus 18.7 percent higher than in the same month last year, which was characterized by severe supply restrictions due to the parts shortage at the time. At the same time, the shortfall of 6,919 registrations, or around 27 percent, on July 2019 shows that the market downturn triggered by the Covid pandemic has not yet been overcome. Thus, since the beginning of the year, 142,351 (+ 13.6 % compared to the previous year), a good 40,000 fewer new passenger cars have been registered than at the same time four years ago.
The year-on-year recovery trend in monthly new registrations has continued for the eleventh calendar month in a row. Since September 2022, the Swiss car market has seen an increase in new passenger cars every month compared to the respective figures a year earlier. Nevertheless, the current market level is no reason for too much euphoria, explains auto-schweiz media spokesman Christoph Wolnik: "Despite the sustained recovery compared to 2022, we have to see how severely the availability of new vehicles was restricted last year. While the situation has improved, it is still tight if you look at the market data before 2020." This year, Wolnik added, the 300,000 new passenger car mark will remain a long way off, having been undershot only twice in the 2010s by a few thousand and a hundred enrollments, respectively.
Just under 30 percent plug-in vehicles in July
The market share of plug-in vehicles (electric cars and plug-in hybrids) that can be charged via the power grid continues to grow steadily and in July stood at a combined 29.2 percent. Of these, the 3,649 all-electric vehicles account for 19.6 percent, or around two-thirds, and their number increased by 81 percent year-on-year. Plug-in hybrids, which have an electric drive with an externally rechargeable battery in addition to a gasoline or diesel engine, also increased by 28 percent to 1,777 new registrations. Since the beginning of the year, electric cars have a market share of 18.8 (previous year: 16.0 %), plug-in hybrids 8.7 (previous year: 8.6 %) and hybrid drives without a charging option via the power grid 27.3 percent (previous year: 24.8 %). Taken together, alternative drive systems (electric, hybrid, gas and hydrogen engines) account for 54.9 percent of all new registrations this year, making them the majority of the market for the first time after seven months (previous year 49.5 %).
Source: Car Switzerland
