Study: Few models slow down e-mobility in company cars | free press

2023-05-06 09:31:22

In Germany, the sale of company cars is considered an important factor in the business of car manufacturers. But here, of all places, demand is sluggish. Experts say there are far too few models.

According to experts, the low variety of electric car models is slowing down their use in company fleets, which are still dominated by combustion engines. In the past year alone, almost half of all pure electric cars in Germany were sold to commercial customers, said Felix Kuhnert, an expert on the car market at the management consultancy PwC Strategy&. “Fleets and motor pools are therefore essential for the German mobility turnaround and a fundamental market for domestic car manufacturers.” It is therefore important that the manufacturers serve this market with attractive models. “At the moment, however, we still see enormous gaps in the range of station wagons that can be used just as well at work as on family vacations.”

According to a study by the consultancy, 13 percent of all company cars registered in Germany in March were fully electric cars. After all, that was almost twice as much as in mid-2021. However, according to data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority, the proportion of private buyers was a good fifth higher in March, and in the year to date private car buyers have tended to buy electric cars. Combustion engines still made up the lion’s share of fleet registrations at 55 percent.

According to Kuhnert, there is still no suitable electric replacement for petrol and diesel engines in station wagons. If the political and economic conditions are right, the share of fleet cars could reach 21 percent in the coming year, or even around a third with state subsidies and guidelines for green fleets. However, according to the current status, the promotion of electric cars via the environmental bonus for company cars will expire at the beginning of September.

In Germany, the market for company cars is more important for car manufacturers than the private market. Almost two thirds (64.1 percent) of the passenger cars newly registered last year were registered by commercial owners. (dpa)