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Tesla and Co.’s “plug-in vehicles” are, uh, “on full blast” in Switzerland, and this despite the crisis in the crown. Image: sda
Electric cars are getting more popular in Switzerland and “combustion engines” suck
The auto industry continues to suffer from the crown crisis. In September, with 21,454 registered vehicles, 11.4 percent fewer cars were registered. However, according to the importers association Auto Schweiz, electric cars continue to grow in the collapsing global market.
The worst year of the automobile since the mid-1970s
Overall, with just 163,556 new registrations after nine months, the passenger car market is headed for the worst auto year since the mid-1970s, according to an association statement Friday. At that time it was the oil crisis that caused the collapse of demand for vehicles.
From January to September, the year-on-year decline in newly registered cars accumulated to 27.7 percent. The association’s forecast of 240,000 approvals by the end of the year, which would be less than 23 percent, should be met only with difficulty in light of the continuing effects of the crown crisis.
Tesla and company take off
After all: those who still want and can afford a car are increasingly opting for a vehicle with alternative driving. Its market share was a record 34.9 percent in September.
Electric cars and plug-in hybrids, so-called “plug-in vehicles,” accounted for 20.2 percent, according to Auto Schweiz. This means that one in five new passenger cars that were registered in September could be powered by electricity and charged from the electricity grid.
With a cumulative 24.1 percent since the beginning of the year, nearly one in four new passenger cars has a hybrid, electric, gas or fuel cell powertrain. At the same time, a year ago, the alternative share was 11.6 percent. And “plug-in vehicles” now account for 11.4 percent of the newly registered passenger cars this year.
“Without the crown crisis, many more vehicles with alternative powertrains would have arrived in Switzerland this year,” association spokesman Christoph Wolnik said, according to the announcement. Because the closure combined with the plant closures in March and April likely prevented an even larger number of units.
(dsc / sda / awp)
