Expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer warns of the risk of subsidies in e-auvas

Mister Dudenhöffer27 percent more electric cars were approved in Europe in the first quarter than in the previous year. Did the German manufacturers benefit from it?
Yes, German brands and the upswing at the approvals in the German market were even the main reason for the increase in European sales figures.

Which German e-models are in Europe particularly popular with companies?
BMW is in front. But VW with the daughters Skoda and Cupra also runs very well, especially with the smaller fleets.

Why are Company car So important for car companies?
Because they make up about three quarters of all sales in Germany for the German car manufacturers. And Germany is the heavyweight in the European car market.

The new federal government gives the auto industry a gift. In the future, companies will be able to copy company cars to 75 percent in the first year, the rest over another five years. Will the e-car sales now explode?
Yes, that will certainly further strengthen the business. But not too early, there are also dangers to the state.

Why?
Because this gift is heavily stressed by the state budget without noticing it. With the depreciation model, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil does not use tax revenue. This is less noticeable than if he had to accept new debts in order to pay private individuals an eco-premium for buying an electric car. The money is at short notice in both cases.

The carmaker shouldn’t worry. You benefit from it.
It’s not that simple. Because the gift also carries a risk that could develop into a time bomb. The high -quality vehicles, which the corporations are now lashing into companies, will flood the market in two years and press the used car prices. If leasing companies such as VW Financial Services, Mercedes Benz Leasing or BMW Leasing have calculated residual values ​​when the contract is concluded, which they cannot achieve in the end, the car companies at the important financial daughters threaten to pay deep red.

How big is this danger?
Look at Tesla, they ran into the residual value trap completely because the values ​​were completely overestimated. The American company business broke. No car rental company takes a Tesla more today.

As a further gift from black and red, deprading e-a-ramble will cost up to 100,000 euros in the future, before that it was 70,000 euros. A good idea?
Yes, that helps the Germans. Even better would be more than 100,000 euros – or even no upper limit. The high-quality German electric cars that have a good image are very expensive.

The price war has already started. German providers in particular grant high leasing discounts and cheap fleet deals. Do you break the winnings again?
In fact, prices have been falling on a broad front for several months. BMW gives over 28 percent discount on its large i5, Opel grants 26.5 percent discount on the small Corsa Electric. But it is now about getting the market moving again. It is always better to sell a vehicle with slight losses than it is not to be sold. Because in this way the manufacturers can at least cover part of their fixed costs, the contribution margin must be positive.

Doesn’t the government now not have to do something for private buyers of e-cars?
Yes, because the car manufacturers need a balance in sales for their business. 60 percent company vehicles and 40 percent private sales would be good. The distribution is currently 70:30, and the new corporate customer promotion is getting worse. Therefore, the government should quickly introduce a private purchase bonus again.

At what height?
The difference between combustion engine and electric drive is currently around 4,000 euros. That means: 2000 euros from the state would be enough, the other 2000 euros would certainly take over the manufacturers.