Sales of electric cars doesn't pay for car dealer

The auto industry has set itself an ambitious goal: by the end of 2020, one out of every ten new cars sold in Switzerland will be a so-called plug-in vehicle, i.e., a purely electrically powered vehicle or a Plug-in Hybrid. With an average of 300'000 new cars per year-roughly 30'000 PCs. Last year, the share was 3 percent, so about 9000 pieces.

An important role in the implementation of the car dealers. You are able to make the customers E-cars tasty. But they hardly do, as a new study by the Institute for economy and Ecology at the University of St. Gallen. Jana Plananska and Rolf Wüstenhagen interviewed last December, 553 Swiss car buyers. Just 5.3 percent of them stated that the car dealer had offered to you during your last visit to a E-car. "The Swiss car industry has yet to solve a few homework," says Wüstenhagen.

Less

The sketched back attitude of the car seller could have several reasons, such as desert, Hagen explained. So the profit margin is in the sale of electric cars tends to be lower, this car more than the E-cheaper. A Peugeot iOn costs about heuer, according to the list price of 22'500 Swiss francs, 2017, there were still nearly 34'000. This price decline, says a Garagist, the lower the margin. The sun in this case only about 1000 Swiss francs per E-car, an x-times less than a conventional model. Official information you will receive in the industry. The traders make for competitive reasons, no information on margins.

The loss of revenue reasons, but also in the fact that in the case of E-vehicles classic wear and tear parts such as exhaust or clutch are missing, you are in the maintenance is so much cheaper, experts speak of 30 percent and more. On the other, the sale of electric cars – as with any new product – requires more time for consultation; the traders could sell at the same time more than a conventional car. Finally, in the business start-up investment, such as the construction of a dedicated charging station – expenditure that must be amortized.

A role of cultural factors," such as desert, Hagen says play ": "A still widespread perception within the industry is that you can offer electric cars, because you will be forced by the policy." As a consequence, well-established dealers would advertise the electric models, some with less Conviction.

The price decline, says a Garagist, the lower the margin.

Markus Aegerter from the motor trade Association of Switzerland (AGVS) into perspective: It's not possible that a single dealer and Mechanic were still on the cutting edge of what electric mobility is concerned. "But I experience this as a usually quite open to new technologies." In addition, the AGVS offer training for Mechanic. In a two-day course is the most important information would be conveyed. Aegerter stressed that the least the dealer would have a large number of pure electric cars on offer, because the manufacturer could not offer any wide range, and it also ran hapere with the announced deadlines often. How large is the proportion of those distributors is that lead no E-cars in the range, to their customers so nothing to be able to offer was not a part of the St. Gallen study.

The findings of this study arouses criticism. "The industry is driving forward the necessary change towards electrification of the traffic enough," says Jürg Grossen, President of the Swiss electric mobility Association of Swiss E-Mobility. For all the more urgent of the GLP-chief now holds a strict implementation of the more stringent climate target: From 2020, new cars must shoot an average of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre instead of 130 as it is today. Import does not fulfill the requirement they must pay fines.

Swiss Finish?

The Federal Council, however, wants to leave, starting in 2023, all new cars in the calculation of flow, before the 5 to 15 percent of CO2 will remain the most intensive models excluded. This helps the importers to save with a weakened climate target money. Big speaks of a Disincentive, the concern that the industry could continue to sell large and heavy petrol and diesel vehicles. May, the Parliament in the new CO2 act, clarifies this the 'Swiss Finish': In the preparatory Committee of the Council of States, a corresponding request is on the table.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 01.04.2019, 21:32 PM