Press release: 12.433-024/21

More than one third less new passenger car registrations in January 2021

Vienna, 2021-02-09 – According to Statistics Austria, new registrations of passenger cars declined by 38.4% in January 2021 compared to the same month of the previous year. A total of 14 133 new passenger cars were registered. However, there were significant increases in new registrations of alternatively operated passenger cars, which accounted for 31.3% of all new passenger car registrations in January 2021 (electric drive: +98.1% with 1 377 cars, petrol hybrids: +17.9% with 2 082 cars, diesel hybrids: +99.4% with 955 cars). New registrations of petrol-powered passenger cars fell by 45.0% (6 081 cars, share: 43.0%), those of diesel-powered passenger cars by 59.2% (3 635 cars, share: 25.7%).

The list of the top passenger car brands is headed by VW with a share of 19.9%, followed by Seat (share: 11.0%) and Skoda (share: 9.4%). Almost all of the Top-10-brands recorded double-digit declines compared to the previous year (Opel (-61.7%), Renault (-43.4%), Mercedes (-40.7%), Ford (-36.5%), Fiat (-35.8%), Skoda (-35.6%), VW (-27.7%), BMW (-27.3%), Seat (-22.8%)). Only Audi's decline remained in the single digits at -6.6%.

In terms of all-electric passenger cars, four brands recorded more than 100 new registrations each in January 2021: VW (+287.3% resp. 244 cars, share: 17.7%), Renault (+33.3% resp. 224 cars, share: 16.3%), Audi (+462.5% resp. 135 cars, share: 9.8%) and Tesla (+60.0% resp. 112 cars, share: 8.1%).

Overall, 33.8% fewer motor vehicles were newly registered in January 2021 compared to the same month of the previous year. Among commercial vehicles, there were declines in N2-class lorries (-23.8%), N1-class lorries (-10.4%) and articulated lorries (-11.8%). N3-class lorries (+3.2%) increased, as did tractors used for agriculture and forestry (+8.1%). New registrations of campers also increased (+164.5%).

New registrations of two-wheelers fell sharply: Compared to January 2020, significantly fewer motorcycles (-54.1%) and scooters (-82.4%) were registered in January 2021.

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