Unsurprisingly, Volkswagen (12% market share), Mercedes (10%) and BMW (9%) made up the top three the best-selling brands, according to Fedamo (Federation of Automobile Distributors and Mobility).
A conference took place on Monday ahead of the next launch of the 56th Autofestival from 25 January to 3 February.
Sales of petrol vehicles exceeded that of diesel in 2018, while in 2019, petrol cars represented 50.6% of new registrations (+ 7.9%), while diesel dropped 7% to 41.9%
Luxembourg still remains one of the last bastions of diesel, while everywhere else diesel cars are being hit with taxes and traffic bans.
The Fedamo report pointed out the choice of engine depends on the vehicle's use.
Petrol engines are best for short journeys (a maximum of 20,000 kilometres per year) while diesel is more efficient for longer journeys.
In Luxembourg in any case, the new vehicles being sold are said to be more efficient than ever. Both petrol and diesel engines on offer comply with the latest Euro 6 emission standard.
Although in terms of CO2 emissions, diesel engines have always been lower, their nitrogen oxide emissions are at the same level as those of petrol engines.
This means that all types of combustion engines will stand the test of time for years to come, according to Fedamo.
The bad news is that average C02 emissions from new cars continue to climb: + 1.3% in 2019 , to 133.8 g CO2 / km. This is due in particular to the boom in SUVs and 4x4s. SUVs now represent 15% of rolling stock in Luxembourg, said Marc Devillet of Fedamo.
However, the number of SUVs is beginning to decline, in favour of urban-style SUVs which are more like raised sedans. Devillet said dealers did not have responsibility to prohibit vehicles from the market.
In 2019, 986 100% electric vehicles were registered, an increase of 129.3% in one year. The increase in hybrid (2,245 units, + 106%) and plug-in hybrid (913, + 28%) vehicles is equally impressive.
However, these figures should be put into perspective - the electric mobility market is relatively new and is almost starting from scratch.
Hybrids currently represent barely 2% of Luxembourg's cars, and the share of electric vehicles registered in 2019 was only 7.5%. However, as more manufacturers get on board, with between 80 and 200 new electric models expected to be released in the coming years, this market will continue to grow.
