Surprising

Hybrid of all things is gaining ground in new cars

Our graphic shows the interesting development

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Internal combustion engine or electric car? A question that is hotly debated politically is answered by car buyers as follows: both. Hybrid accelerates, electric brakes, and the combustion engine idles. This is how you could summarize this year's car sales in Upper Austria

Around 13,500 new cars were registered between January and April, roughly the same number as in the same period last year. An analysis by Statistics Austria for the "Krone" newspaper shows that Hybrid vehicles - i.e. those powered by both an electric motor and a combustion engine - are on the rise. 4,164 of them have already left showrooms in Upper Austria this year, eleven percent more than in the previous year. In contrast, "only" 2390 new electric cars were registered - a decrease of ten percent.

The trend towards electrified vehicles is unstoppable. The current decline is due to companies. They have historically bought a lot of electric cars. When companies pick up again, e-cars will also pick up again.

Adolf Seifried, Obmann des Fahrzeughandels in der Wirtschaftskammer Oberösterreich

So are e-cars in general starting to stutter? No, says Adolf Seifried, Chairman of the Vehicle Trade in the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce: "The trend towards electrified vehicles is unstoppable." The drop in registrations of e-cars has the following explanation: "Companies have historically bought a lot of electric cars. However, registrations have fallen due to the difficult economic environment. When companies pick up again, electric cars will also pick up again."

Adolf Seifried, Chairman of the Vehicle Trade in the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce

(Bild: Dostal Harald)

E-cars particularly attractive for companies
The purchase of zero-emission vehicles is particularly attractive for companies because they can deduct up to 40,000 euros of the investment costs from their input tax. Seifried also expects an increase in private purchases, because: "So far, only expensive electric cars have been on offer. This year and next year, many vehicles in the 20,000 euro segment will be added."

Industry was taken aback
The increase in hybrid vehicles took the industry rather by surprise. So-called plug-in models are also in demand - they can be connected to electric charging stations, while the batteries of conventional hybrid cars are only charged while driving. The plug-in solution is particularly popular with owners of photovoltaic systems. Seifried's explanation for this: Because they only get more low feed-in prices for surplus electricity, they would rather use it to charge their car.