Half of Portuguese thinking of purchasing an electric or hybrid car
A survey by ACAP (Associação Automóvel de Portugal – Portuguese Automobile Association) shows that when it comes to purchasing, the Portuguese are increasingly making sure their choices are sustainable. And digital.
One in two consumers say that their next car will be hybrid or electric. Nine out of ten are prepared to pay up to 35 thousand euros for an electric vehicle. These are some of the conclusions drawn by the survey Auto retail networks in Portugal – The present and the future of the sector, which was published on 26th May by ACAP, in partnership with a team of researchers from the ISEG School of Economics and Management. The data reveal a scenario which is increasingly favourable towards electrification. The first four months of this year saw sales of new cars powered by alternative energies rise by 39% compared with the same period of 2021.
ACAP nevertheless warns that this conversation will take some time, and estimates that in 2025 12.6% of cars on the road will be electric or hybrid, and 87.4% petrol or diesel. When averaged out, the age of all of Portugal’s cars in 2020 was 12.8 years, which is much older than in other European countries. This fact may, in theory, work in favour of renewing with this new breed of car, although we cannot forget that the Portuguese have much less purchasing power and a much greater vehicular tax burden than other countries in the European Union.
It should be stated that all consumers surveyed are prepared to pay extra to be able to use additional technology, namely connectivity, autonomous driving and entertainment. Regarding main future Portuguese consumer trends in purchasing and using auto products and services, the conclusions reveal that 60% of those surveyed are considering buying a vehicle in the next five years, and that 40% will use a combination of online and in-person consultation during the purchasing process. 60% also state that they prefer to buy virtually from an authorised dealership and 30% from the manufacturer’s website. “Now more than ever, manufacturers and dealers will have to invest both in shifting the paradigm of how they are structured – and how they operate – and in training their human resources, who must be ready to respond to the megatrends in the automotive sector for 2025, particularly connectivity and digitalisation, electrification, mobility, agile transformation and customer focus.”
