New registrations of cars remained almost one-fifth short of last year's level in October in Finland

Automatic transmissions are increasingly common

In October, a total of 7,499 new passenger cars were registered for the first time in Finland, which is 20.0 per cent less than in October last year. The rapid decline in the order backlog caused by the coronavirus situation during the spring season continues to keep the registration figures down. By the end of October, a total of 80,903 new passenger cars were registered, which is 16.9 per cent less than in the corresponding period last year. In October, the trade in used passenger cars was on the same level as last year.

In the unfavourable registration statistics of October, the registration figures for vans and small trucks made an exception. A total of 1,214 new vans were registered for the first time in October, which is 8.0 per cent more than in October last year. By the end of October, first-time registrations of vans amounted to 10,430, which is 16.9 per cent less than at the same time last year. In October, the number of registrations of small trucks under 6 tonnes grew by 23.9 per cent compared to last year. During the first half of the year, first-time registrations of small trucks totalled 713, which is 1.5 per cent lower than last year's figures.

A total of 337 new trucks were registered in October, which is 8.9 per cent less than in October last year. This year, first-time registrations of trucks have amounted to 2,820, which is 19.5 per cent less than at the same time last year. A total of 1,916 trucks weighing over 16 tonnes have been registered over the whole year, which is 25.2 per cent lower figure than last year. First-time registrations of medium-sized trucks of 6 to 16 tonnes totalled 191, which is 12.8 per cent less than last year.

The impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are still blatantly visible in the bus market. A total of 252 new buses have been registered for the first time by the end of October. The number of registrations is 46.9 per cent lower than at the same time last year.

Diversification of fuel types and technological advances are reflected in the range of new cars

This year, slightly less than half of the fist-time registered vehicles have been gasoline-driven and around 14 per cent have been diesel-driven. The share of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) has been around 17 per cent. The share of hybrid electric vehicles that are not charged from the external network has been about 19 per cent. This year, gas-driven cars have accounted for about 2 per cent of first-time registrations. In October, the share of PHEVs levelled off slightly compared to previous months.

Overall, around 62 per cent of the vehicles registered for the first time this year have been purchased by households and around 38 per cent by companies. PHEVs and diesel vehicles are most commonly purchased for business use, while households more often acquire petrol cars and electric vehicles than companies.

Automatic transmissions are increasingly common in first-time registrations. Only about one-fifth of the passenger cars registered for the first time this year have had a manual transmission. The share of vehicles with automatic transmission has grown steadily over the past few years. As recently as in 2015, almost half of the new cars sold had manual transmission.

This year, about one-fifth of the new first-time registered vehicles have come with a four-wheel drive. The share of four-wheel drive vehicles increased slightly over the last decade. The growth stopped at the share of around one-fifth in 2018.

Vans are bigger than before

In recent years, the demand for vans has increasingly focused on the heaviest vehicles with a total mass of more than 3 tonnes. Around 85 per cent of the vans registered for the first time this year have had a total mass of at least 3 tonnes. This year, the share of the heaviest vans between 3.2 and 3.5 tonnes grew to 43 per cent of the first-time registered vans, while in 2015 their share was no higher than around a quarter. In Finland, registration tax guides van purchases to the heaviest size category, as a deduction based on the total mass of the vehicle is made on the registration tax rate on vans.

Further information

Registration statistics from October
Pekka Rissa, Managing Director, Finnish Central Organization for Motor Trade and Repairs, Tel. +358 500 417 300, pekka.rissa@akl.fi

The Finnish Information Centre of Automobile Sector is a service and information centre providing information of road transport, automobile trade and manufacturing, as well as the car repair and inspection industries and car recycling in Finland. Information Centre is a joint organisation of the Association of Automobile Industry in Finland and Finnish Central Organization for Motor Trades and Repairs.

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