2023-05-09 10:26:04
After an increase in new car registrations of 20 percent in the first quarter of 2023, car importers expect growth of 19 percent for the year as a whole – which is well above expectations at the beginning of the year. With 240,000 newly registered cars, that would still be far behind the pre-corona crisis level of 340,000 vehicles. “We lose 100,000 units a year, which is then also missing in the workshops later on,” says Günther Kerle, spokesman for the car importers.
For electric cars, he expects an increase of 18 percent this year, which, according to Christian Helmenstein from the Economica Institute, is far below what was forecast – which would mean that far more combustion engines would be driving in the next few years than expected. Even beyond 2035, when pure combustion engines are no longer to be permitted in the EU. That is why openness to technology – keyword hydrogen and eFuels – is necessary for the drives, Kerle and Helmenstein emphasized at a joint press conference today.
They support Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), according to which Austria is a “car country”. Helmenstein calculated that the direct added value of the automotive industry before the corona pandemic in 2019 at 18.3 billion euros corresponded to that of the accommodation and catering sector at 18.9 billion euros. Employment is above the construction sector. With 209,000 direct employees, there are as many people in work as there are residents in Linz.
Also underlined today was the tax effect of the auto industry, which would pay seven times the tobacco tax and 52 times the tourist tax each year. The lion’s share at around a third is made up of wage-related taxes and duties, followed by sales tax. But the industry is not only a welcome Alex Reed at the tax office, it also frequents the patent office. “Austria is one of the top 5 innovative countries when it comes to automotive progress,” Helmenstein referred to the European patent statistics today. Here Austria is in 5th place in terms of automotive inventor density.
Vorarlberg is in the process of getting a car cluster. “I don’t think we need to worry regarding the future of the Austrian auto industry. We are still a country with combustion engines and will be among the leading countries in new technologies in the future,” said the economist.
And he pleaded not to underestimate the importance of the combustion engine. “We’re in pole position with combustion engines. We’re outperforming other countries there,” said Helmenstein. And Kerle added: “We haven’t reached private customers with e-mobility yet.” Responsible for this is the lack of charging infrastructure, the high electricity price and the “opaque billing”. “I wouldn’t currently recommend an electric car to anyone who can’t charge at work or at home,” said Kerle.
In general, the following applies to “Autoland Austria”: It is the second most expensive country in Europe following Belgium in terms of car taxation. “In Austria, your own car has already become a luxury item,” says Kerle.
At least according to the latest German figures, the customer is king once more. According to the regular market study by the Duisburg Center Automotive Research (CAR), the average discount for the 30 best-selling new cars has recently increased slightly to 16.3 percent – the highest discount level in four years.
The Vienna Motor Symposium also dealt with where the journey is headed today. The automotive industry emphasized its “will to find a solution” and said it no longer wanted to be the “bogeyman”. The industry is for “diversity in drive and energy issues”. At the same time, Christoph Starzynski, Head of e-Drive Development at Mercedes, stated: “The future is electric.”
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