On the German Car market prices drop for end users. According to the regular discount study conducted by the Duisburg CAR Institute, dealers and manufacturers tweaked all available screws for discounts in July. The lower VAT had a particular impact on the internet offer prices of 30 popular models, which were on average 22.5 percent below the list price. Retailers and carmakers also allowed more cars to be sold on their own account in order to market them immediately at lower prices.
The widespread offers of a “gifted” VAT were often offset against existing price reductions, study director Ferdinand Dudenhöffer describes a typical approach of the marketing departments. The “gift” therefore falls on cars like that Opel Astra (plus 2.2 points) or Renault Captur (plus 2 points) modestly. An exception Volkswagen with additional discounts above 5 percentage points for three popular models.
Highest discounts for electric cars without affecting market share
The highest discounts up to about half the list price (Skoda Citigo E / Smart EQ Fortwo) are currently at Electric cars to get because the state subsidy has risen to 6000 euros per car. In addition there is a 3000 euro manufacturer subsidy and further price advantages. This has led to such high demand, especially for very small electric cars, that there are supply bottlenecks and delivery stops, the study says.
However, the high subsidies changed little in the market share of electric cars, Dudenhöffer found. The significantly increased self-approval rate of almost 27 percent indicates underutilized production capacities, the study concluded. An improvement is hardly to be expected in the coming months because the Corona crisis will deprive European consumers of purchasing power, Dudenhöffer explained. He therefore expects discounts for new cars to increase further in the coming months.