Motorists Hesitant When Buying Alternative Drives

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The fuel prices rise and rise. An increase in the sales of vehicles with alternative drives is therefore not conceivable.

When buying a new car, Germany's motorists are still not showing any great interest in alternative drives. According to an analysis by the Car Center of the University of Duisburg-Essen, 99 percent of all new cars with gasoline or diesel engines were delivered in the first two months of the new year.

“We are stepping on the spot with alternative drives. Almost nothing is moving in the German car market when it comes to alternative drive systems. It seems as if alternative drives were made for automobile shows rather than for the market,”says Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, the author of the study. According to Dudenhöffer, of the total of 434,493 vehicles registered in January and February, just 4,248 new cars were sold that were registered with ethanol, natural gas, liquid gas, electric or hybrid. "The Germans complain about high gasoline and diesel prices, but that doesn't seem to provoke reactions when buying a car," said Dudenhöffer.

Customer interest in natural gas is falling

Natural gas vehicles no longer seem to be as popular with customers as they used to be. While 11,552 vehicles with natural gas were sold in 2006, last year there were just 6296 vehicles. In view of 581 natural gas vehicles sold in the first two months of the year, Dudenhöffer assumes that fewer than 5,000 for the year as a whole are likely. Liquid gas (LPG) is enjoying greater popularity. Here the scientist expects sales of 15,000 vehicles.

Incidentally, according to the study, the Renault subsidiary Dacia takes a leading role with regard to the range of alternative drives. The Dacia Duster alone sold 270 vehicles in the first two months. That is 5 times as much as Europe's largest car manufacturer VW, which could only sell 155 vehicles with alternative drives. "Overall, the importers sold 82 percent of all alternative drives in the first two months," said Dudenhöffer.

A manufacturer like Opel is increasing its commitment to LPG vehicles. In addition to the Meriva, Astra and Corsa, the Combo will also soon be available as an LPG variant. And with a view to electromobility, the Rüsselsheim-based company has high hopes for the Opel Ampera, which has just been named “Car of the Year”. 7,000 orders for the Ampera have already been placed across Europe.

The Rüsselsheim-based company is planning Europe-wide with annual sales of 10,000 Amperas, 25 percent of which are to be sold in Germany. For customers, however, the fuel consumption of a new car is of great importance. For example, over 40 percent of sales at the Rüsselsheim-based company relate to fuel-saving models, which at Opel have the addition of EcoFlex in the model name. (AG / FM)