Press release: 12.487-078/21

Vienna, 2021-04-12 – According to Statistics Austria, in the first quarter of 2021, new registrations of passenger cars increased by 16.2% year-on-year to 63 522 vehicles. The positive development was due to the significant increase in March (+177.1% to 29 526 passenger cars; January: -38.4%, February: -5.7%). This means that new passenger car registrations in March 2021 were only 7.6% lower than in March 2019 (31 958). In March 2020, 66.7% fewer new passenger car registrations (10 654) than in March 2019 were reported due to the corona-related shutdown. In total, 90 039 newly registered motor vehicles were registered from January to March 2021, an increase of 25.7%. Of these, 70.5% were newly registered passenger cars, compared to 76.3% in the same period last year.

"The number of newly registered passenger cars has risen strongly for the first time since September 2020 and is thus approaching the pre-crisis level. In March 2021, almost three times as many new passenger cars were registered as in March of the previous year, when the first hard lockdown also slowed down the automobile trade. There were three-digit increases in March for alternatively powered passenger cars, which accounted for 32.4% of new registrations", said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas.

Strong increases were observed for purely electric passenger cars (6 620 vehicles, +172.7%), petrol-hybrid passenger cars (10 483 vehicles, +138.3%) and diesel-hybrid passenger cars (3 462 vehicles, +188.3%). In addition, more petrol-powered passenger cars were registered (26 639 vehicles, +5.6%). On the other hand, new registrations of diesel-powered passenger cars declined (16 291 vehicles, -23.6%). The share of newly registered passenger cars with purely electric drive was 10.4%, more than double the previous year's figure (4.4%).

The brands VW (10 197 passenger cars, 16.1% share), Skoda (5 735 passenger cars, 9.0% share) and Seat (5 174 passenger cars, 8.1% share) achieved a total market share of 33.2% in the first quarter of 2021. Compared to the same period last year, all top-10-brands recorded increases (Audi +44.3%, Ford +34.7%, Fiat +29.2%, Seat +24.9%, VW +16.2%, Renault +13.8%, Mercedes +8.6%, Skoda +8.0%, BMW +5.6%, Opel 3.5%).

In the commercial vehicle market, increases in new registrations were observed in all sectors from January to March 2021. More N1-class lorries (+46.0%, 11 783 vehicles), N2-class lorries (+31.4%, 92 vehicles), N3-class lorries (+18.4%, 861 vehicles) and articulated lorries (+22.0%, 811 vehicles) were registered. With 2 070 new registrations, tractors used for agriculture and forestry achieved an increase of 39.9%. The registration figures for campers also developed positively with 905 vehicles and a plus of 239.0% compared to January to March 2020.

Two-wheelers also had a plus in new registrations (motorcycles +83.6%, 5 726 vehicles and scooters +91.4%, 2 526 vehicles).

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  
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©  STATISTICS AUSTRIA, Last Changed 12.04.2021

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