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Porsche Holding Salzburg, Europe’s largest car dealer, takes stock of the year of the Corona crisis. Although there were restrictions and losses related to COVID-19 in the 29 countries in which the company operates, Hans Peter Schützinger believes that the company is well positioned.
The corona pandemic forced the auto industry to slow down and reduce a number of speeds in 2020. Around the world, factories were closed and production suspended for weeks. The closures and travel restrictions restricted the mobility of people and business trips were hardly possible for much of the year. And there is no end in sight yet for restrictions related to COVID-19.
The balance sheet of Porsche Holding Salzburg (PHS), which sells the Volkswagen group brands in 29 European countries and is also the VW group’s overall importer in Austria, reflects this development. Despite difficult circumstances, Hans Peter Schützinger, spokesman for the company’s management, can be reasonably satisfied with what has been achieved: during the year, the new car market in Europe increased by 24.2 percent and in Austria was even down 25.6 percent, to their lowest level since 1987. declined, new vehicle sales of Volkswagen Group brands fell only 14.4 percent.
In contrast, the used car market for Porsche Holding Salzburg continued to function almost unabated despite the corona pandemic. 218,900 used cars sold represent a decline of just 1.7 percent compared to the prior year. And there are other positive signs. The workforce increased by 3.6 percent to around 33,000, and 36 new locations were opened during the crisis. “Seen from this perspective, we have weathered the crisis well, even if we had to accept significant losses in new vehicle sales and therefore sales,” says Schützinger.
Looking to the future
Although the crisis is far from over and Porsche Holding Salzburg expects only a very slow recovery of the markets in the first months of 2021, the spokesman for the largest European car dealer dares to also look cautiously and optimistically towards the future at the end of year. as far as the Austrian market is concerned.
After only 245,000 new cars sold in 2020, Schützinger expects to sell around 290,000 new cars next year. A brand that is still well below the average of five years before the crisis (308,000 cars sold), but at least 20 percent above the Corona year.
Plus, the Volkswagen Group has a few other trump cards up its sleeve. With the ID.3, the first all-electric Volkswagen hit the market in 2020. This year, the car and its MEB (Modular Electrification Kit) concept required an additional sales effort through training and service preparations. or charging infrastructure, but a number of other new models will follow in 2021. “Due to the rapidly growing model range and current subsidies in Austria, electric mobility will see significant market growth,” Schützinger is confident.
Undisputed market leader
And the head of PHS will do everything in his power to defend a new record set in the Corona crisis. In Austria, the Volkswagen Group with its corporate brands now has a market share of 37 per cent and is therefore far ahead of all other manufacturers.
The most popular brand remains the main brand Volkswagen (15.5% market share), followed by ŠKODA (9.8% market share) and SEAT (6.6% market share), among the top ten Top-selling cars in Austria are the Golf. (2nd), the Polo (3rd), the T-Roc (6th), the T-Cross (7th), the VW bus (8th) and the Tiguan (9th) six of the Volkswagen brand. Places 1 and 4 go to the ŠKODA Group subsidiary with Octavia and Fabia.
Porsche Holding Salzburg is also successful with the brands SEAT (6.6% market share), Audi (5.7% market share) and Porsche. With the sports car brand, PHS is even heading to a new sales record in the Crown year in Austria. By the end of November, 1,318 new Porsche cars had been registered.
Climate protection as a mandate
At its annual press conference held virtually via live streaming this time, Porsche Holding Salzburg emphasized its commitment to the Paris climate goals and sees climate protection as a mandate. By 2050, the whole group should be carbon neutral on the balance sheet, this includes both vehicles and plants and all processes.
Under current plans, the group will invest almost € 73 billion in future electromobility, digitization and hybridization issues by 2025. Of this, € 35 billion is earmarked for electromobility alone. The Volkswagen Group plans to launch 75 all-electric models of all brands by 2029, plus around 60 more hybrid vehicles.
In 2020 there was a new shift in Austria in favor of alternative forms of propulsion. While the share of diesel in the overall market fell 1.2 percentage points to 37 percent and the share of gasoline vehicles fell as much as 9.8 percentage points to 44.2 percent, the share of alternative units fell. more than doubled to 18.8 percent (+11.1 percentage points). As a result, new registrations of alternative drives increased by around 18,500 units in the same period last year. The market share of fully electric vehicles doubled to 5.6%, while that of hybrid vehicles increased to 13%.
Schützinger also welcomes state control measures for the gradual greening of new vehicles and for the reduction of CO2 emissions, but criticizes the new NoVA regulation, which will come into force in Austria from July 2021. “This it means that these objectives are not being achieved with precision, “explains the PHS spokesperson.
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