Car industry Auto-Schweiz expects a 50 percent share of e-cars in 2030
Last year, the Swiss car industry fell far short of the federal government's target of a 50% share of e-cars in new car sales. The target is now to be achieved by 2030 instead of 2025 as originally planned.
20.01.2026, 16:05
SDA
A share of plug-in vehicles (plug-in hybrids and pure battery cars) of half of new registrations is not realistic until 2030, said Thomas Rücker, Director of the Swiss Automobile Import Association, speaking to the media in Zurich on Tuesday. This would be five years behind the original target of the federal government's electromobility roadmap.
Last year, plug-in vehicles achieved a market share of 34 percent of new registrations in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. A total of 79,439 plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars were sold. While plug-in hybrids increased by a good quarter, sales of purely electric cars rose by over 15 percent.
However, the pace is much slower than originally expected. The reason for this is not a saturated market or a sudden loss of purchasing power on the part of consumers, said Auto Schweiz President Peter Grünenfelder. The reason is tireless regulatory zeal. "Unfortunately, we are the regulatory world champions. We would gladly do without this podium position."
Entire catalog of demands
The problem lies in the political framework conditions and the overly ambitious deadlines: high electricity prices, insufficient urban charging infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty and new tax and levy plans are unsettling both private individuals and corporate customers.
Among other things, Auto-Schweiz once again called for new taxes such as the replacement levy on e-cars to be waived. In addition, the 4 percent car tax should be abolished. Cheap electricity is also needed to boost the sale of e-cars. Auto-Schweiz is therefore calling for price competition on the electricity market.
The CO2 sanction mechanism also needs to be revised. Because the fleet emission targets are not met, the industry has to pay penalties in the three-digit million range. Last year, emissions should have averaged 93.6 g of CO2 per kilometer. The association reckons that the industry fell just short of the 100 g/km mark.
Another demand is the expansion of the charging infrastructure by cities and municipalities. The city of Zurich has 16 charging stations per 10,000 inhabitants, while there are 28 in London and as many as 46 in Oslo, said Amag CEO Helmut Ruhl. The parliamentary resolution "Right to charge" needs to be implemented.
