In recent years, much has changed when it comes to vehicle choices and purchases. There is more uncertainty and fewer people visit dealerships to inspect their offers. Nevertheless, the sector seems more or less satisfied with the results of the two-week-long Autofestival.
Dealership owner Yves Binsfeld explains: “People who come to the shop often end up buying. They have often consulted online offers beforehand and know what they want.” The days of whole families visiting different dealerships over the weekend thus seem to have become a thing of the past once and for all.
Surprisingly, customers do not seem particularly concerned about their wallets, says dealership owner Serge Cardoni: “People still love their cars. I think that they will rather forego other things before abandoning their car.”
In terms of financing, leasing is steadily increasing in popularity, particularly among younger buyers. However, a large majority of people are still relying on traditional means of financing their vehicles.
People tend to be more frustrated by long waiting periods, which, according to both dealership owners, is also the cause for a decrease in new registrations in the past two years. By now, waiting periods can amount to twelve months.
This might also affect the sales numbers of electric vehicles. Though their popularity remains unshaken, demand has calmed down. According to Cardoni, petrol-fuelled vehicles are still in the lead by a large margin.
Reactions to this year’s edition of the annual Autofestival are mixed. Cardoni explained that offers decide over where customers go. In some cases, people have been waiting for specific models to come out.
And finally, good news for those who missed the festival but are still interested in soon acquiring a new vehicle: most dealerships will maintain their festival offers for some more weeks to come.
