Press release: 12.786-084/22

Vienna, 2022-04-11 – From January to March 2022, 52 375 passenger cars were newly registered, 17.5% fewer than in the same period of the previous year, as Statistics Austria reports. While in January 2022, 10.5% more passenger cars compared to January 2021 were reported, in February the decline was 18.9%, and in March a drop of 30.1% to 20 653 new passenger car registrations was recorded. The share of new passenger cars registered by private vehicle owners was 35.4% in Q1 2022 (2021: 31.7%).

"New passenger car registrations slowed down significantly again in March 2022: With 20 653 passenger cars, 30.1% fewer new cars were registered in Austria than in March of the previous year. The Austrian car market was already in reverse gear in February with a drop of almost 19% in new car registrations," said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas.

Compared to the first quarter of 2021, the number of new registrations of diesel-powered passenger cars (-27.2%; share: 22.6%), those of petrol-powered passenger cars (-23.4%; share: 38.9%) and alternatively powered passenger cars (-2.3%; share: 38.4%; all-electric (BEV), natural gas, bivalent drive, combined drive (hybrid) and hydrogen (fuel cell)) decreased.

In the first three months of 2022, a total of 7 166 BEV passenger cars were newly registered. Compared to 2021 (6 620 BEV passenger cars), this represents an increase of 8.2%. However, in March 2022, newly registered BEV passenger cars declined year-on-year for the first time since April 2020 (-10.9%). The share of private vehicle owners increased in Q1 2022, reaching 23.8% (2021: 15.0%).

Among the top ten passenger car makes, Toyota (+45.0%), Kia (+20.5%) and Audi (+15.3%) recorded increases in the first quarter of 2022. In contrast, decreases were observed for Seat (-49.9%), VW (-31.7%), Ford (-26.2%), Renault (-24.2%), Skoda (-16.5%), Mercedes (-8.3%) and BMW (-6.1%).

A total of 72 239 new motor vehicles were registered in the first quarter of 2022, a decrease of 17 800 motor vehicles or 19.8% compared to the first quarter of 2021. Thus, fewer new registrations were recorded for lorries class N1 (-52.7%), lorries class N3 (-24.6%), lorries class N2 (-18.5%), and tractors used for agriculture and forestry (-6.4%). In contrast, more new registrations were recorded for articulated lorries (+11.0%). The registration figures for campers also developed positively with 1 313 vehicles and an increase of 45.1% compared to January to March 2021.

In the two-wheeler market, more motorcycles (6 210; +8.5%) were newly registered year-on-year, but almost a quarter fewer scooters (1 918; -24.1%).

For more detailed results and further information concerning statistics of motor vehicles please refer to our website.

Information on methods, definitions: Motor vehicle statistics (registrations of new and used vehicles as well as the stock of vehicles) are secondary statistics, compiled on the basis of daily data files sent to Statistics Austria by Austria’s association of insurance companies (VVO). VVO, in turn, receives data by the insurances’ registrations offices, responsible for registrations, de-registrations and rectifications of motor vehicles and trailers. 
Within motor vehicle statistics, all motor vehicles, once nationally or internationally registered, are levied, irrespective of the registration’s duration.

For further inquiries please contact Directorate Spatial Statistics, Statistics Austria:  
Gerda FISCHER, Tel. +43 1 71128-7566 resp. gerda.fischer@statistik.gv.at, 
Stefan PREMM, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7598 resp. stefan.premm@statistik.gv.at and 
Thomas JANKA, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7575 resp. thomas.janka@statistik.gv.at

Media owner, producer and publisher: 
STATISTICS AUSTRIA, Federal Institution under Public Law 
1110 Vienna, Austria, Guglgasse 13, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7777 
presse@statistik.gv.at  

©  STATISTICS AUSTRIA, Last Changed 11.04.2022

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