Around 100,000 e-cars are in stockpile in Germany

Chemnitz. According to an analysis by car experts in Chemnitz, tens of thousands of electric cars are sitting on stockpiles in Germany. Last year, there was a record number of unsold vehicles, explained Automotive researcher Werner Olle. He put the surplus at around 100,000.

Many e-cars had not found their way to customers, but were instead parked in parking lots near factories, at dealerships or in ports. This applies to vehicles from German manufacturers as well as imports. The background to this is the abrupt end of the e-car subsidy, which has affected domestic demand.

In May, the Federal Statistical Office reported that exports of e-cars had risen sharply last year. According to the report, 786,000 such vehicles worth 36 billion euros were exported. That was an increase of 58 percent. This means that every fourth new car sold abroad from Germany had a purely electric drive.

"The export valve cannot heal all wounds," warned Olle. Production in stockpiles is expensive and can only be reduced with discounts. The figures show an extensive decoupling between production and domestic demand.

This is also confirmed by a closer look at Saxony. In 2023, around one in four e-cars built in Germany was produced there. However, only 2.6 percent of all cars registered in the state were electric or at least hybrid-powered. Overall, there are major regional differences between eastern and western Germany. "Income is a decisive factor here."

For Saxony with the manufacturers Volkswagen, BMW and Porsche had the Chemnitz Automotive Institute (CATI) forecast further growth at the beginning of the year. Vehicle production will increase by ten percent to 620,000 vehicles, including 320,000 fully electric vehicles. The expected growth in e-cars is therefore mainly due to new models from BMW and Porsche in Leipzig. Volkswagen, on the other hand, is struggling with sales problems at its e-car factory in Zwickau. (dpa)