New registrations 2024

SUVs more popular than ever in Vorarlberg

Costs and climate protection aside - SUVs are more popular in Vorarlberg than ever before. According to an analysis by Verkehrsclub Österreich (VCÖ), over 45 percent of all newly registered vehicles last year were SUVs.

5585 of the 12343 new cars registered in Vorarlberg last year were SUVs or off-road vehicles, according to figures from Statistics Austria. The proportion of "road ships" has doubled in just ten years. The large vehicles are particularly popular in the district of Bludenz, where SUVs accounted for 56% of all new registrations in 2024. By comparison, the proportion of SUVs in the Dornbirn district was "only" just under 38 percent.

The bigger, the worse for the environment
Three quarters of SUVs in Vorarlberg run entirely or partly on petrol or diesel as hybrid cars. The proportion of SUVs is highest among plug-in hybrids at 77 percent. However, these generally do not live up to the promises of sustainability made in advertising: a report by the European Court of Auditors shows that the real consumption of plug-in hybrids is on average more than three times higher than the manufacturer's specifications suggest. 

Even electrically powered SUVs are only good as a fig leaf: according to the Federal Environment Agency, an electric car weighing around 2100 kilograms produces on average almost twice as much CO2 per vehicle kilometer in the overall balance as a smaller electric car weighing around 1300 kilograms. Electricity consumption while driving is around two thirds higher on average.

VCÖ sees politicians as having a duty
According to VCÖ expert Katharina Jaschinsky, the SUV boom must be counteracted at all costs: "Politicians are called upon to set framework conditions at EU level so that manufacturers bring more economical models onto the market. It would be wrong to shift the responsibility solely onto consumers. Because supply determines demand."