ZCZC
BCN-28
GERMANY-ECONOMY-AUTOMOBILE-INDICATOR
German car market surges as manufacturers face emissions crunch
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Sept 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Registrations of new cars on
German roads leaped 25 percent in August, official data showed Tuesday, ahead
of the introduction of new stricter EU emissions tests that will shut out
some older models.
Some 316,405 cars were registered last month, up from 253,680 in August
2017, the KBA transport authority said in a statement.
Industry observers point to the September introduction of the so-called
“WLTP” emissions testing standard in the EU as a factor pushing carmakers to
offer deep discounts or register vehicles to local sellers in August.
The popularity of diesel cars — whose manipulation to appear less
polluting by Volkswagen and other firms prompted the push for WLTP — remains
squeezed in Germany, with the fuel accounting for 32.6 percent of new
registrations.
But the main beneficiary of drivers’ flight from diesel has been the
petrol engine, with a 62.1 percent market share in August.
Alternatives to traditional combustion engines paled in comparison, with
hybrids accounting for four percent of sales, all-electric just 0.8 percent
and natural gas 0.4 percent.
Despite the diesel scandal, Volkswagen-brand cars accounted for one in
five sales in Germany this year, adding 15.4 percent between January and
August compared with the same period in 2017 to top 491,000 units.
The VW group’s high-end subsidiary Audi has enjoyed 6.4 percent growth
compared with shrinking sales for rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
BSS/AFP/HR/1025