In 2021, the national society of automobile traffic (SNCA) registered 137,564 cars, an increase of 3.2% compared to 2020. More second-hand vehicles were registered (80,882) than new ones (56,682). But most notably there was a rise in hybrid and electric car registrations with the first category increasing from 3,797 in 2020 to 7,225 and the latter from 2,473 in 2020 to 4,649 the following year.

Luxembourg’s 58th Autofestival will take place between 24 January and 5 February and is traditionally the strongest period in terms of car sales for dealerships. The last few years have not been as fruitful due to the pandemic’s effect on mobility and on supply chains.

The Autofestival’s advantage is offering vehicles delivered within a reasonable timeframe whereas in recent times car chip shortages have led to prolonged delays in deliveries which have turned potential clients away.

“It is difficult to estimate delivery times, as this depends on the make and model. But we have a car distribution network in Luxembourg that has anticipated the event. We have the possibility to order vehicles on the production lines and we have already pre-ordered a large number of vehicles that will arrive earlier for the Autofestival. This will allow us to reduce the waiting time,” said Marc Devillet, director general of car dealership Autopolis, at a press conference on Monday.

The Autofestival is usually an important indicator of annual sales, but numbers are likely to be down despite the best efforts by dealerships to procure vehicles.

“The Autofestival is not going to change the outlook for the coming year, because we know that at the moment there are not enough cars,” said Philippe Mersch, president of the federation of Luxembourg automobile distributors, Fedamo. However, he added: “If we work in a serious way, if we carry out tests and if we welcome our customers correctly and seriously so that they can visit our dealerships safely, then we will be happy.”

Additional reporting by Jérémy Zabatta