Almost 21,000 cars

Car sales in Salzburg rose again in 2024

The car dealer industry breathes a sigh of relief. Salzburg car dealers sold more new cars in 2024 than in 2023, but are still a long way from reaching pre-coronavirus levels. The industry is calling for political support.

20,343 new cars were registered in Salzburg in 2024. Compared to 2023, this corresponds to an increase of 5.5%. "The market has recovered somewhat, but we are still a long way from pre-corona levels. In 2018 and 2019, Salzburg's car dealers sold just under 28,000 new cars each," explains Josef Nußbaumer, Chairman of the Salzburg Chamber of Commerce's Vehicle Trade Committee.

The sales figures for purely electric vehicles fell by 6.2% to 4,117. However, just over 20 percent of new cars registered in the province of Salzburg last year were 100% electric. This is the highest figure in a comparison of federal states, according to the mobility organization VCÖ. In contrast, there was an increase of over 13% in the number of "petrol cars" in the province. "In order to achieve the European_CO2 fleet limits set by the EU, the market share of purely electric vehicles would have to double this year. Many European car manufacturers would face massive fines and the supplier industry would also be at risk," explains Nußbaumer. 

The situation for domestic vehicle dealers is also alarming. "Insolvency figures are rising, and challenges such as inflation are an enormous burden for businesses." In this context, Nußbaumer is calling for support from politicians. "The future of passenger cars will be electric, at least in Europe. However, the transformation will take more time than originally assumed. This applies to the necessary expansion of the infrastructure, but also to acceptance among the population."