When several thousand southerners are expected at the Bilexpo car fair in Sørlandshallen this weekend, they will meet around 200 new cars on display, more than 90 percent of which are electric cars. They will also get to know that since Tesla reduced prices in early 2023, the prices of new cars have dropped with price cuts in the hundreds of thousands of kroner.
– Of course, car prices should be higher than they are today. Mainly because of the weak Norwegian krone. But strong competition and many new brands seeking a foothold in the Norwegian market are putting pressure on prices and margins for the established brands as well, says chairman of the Kristiansand Car Dealers Association, Terje Jochumsen.
This photo is from Bilexpo in 2015. Then a visitor record was set, and electric cars entered although fossil cars still dominated.
Photo: Torstein Island
Some delicious bisques
16 car dealers display all current models, and among the many cars in popular price ranges are some luxury cars designed especially for those looking for a special car experience .
– Like this lime-green Audi RS3 with a 400 horsepower petrol engine and 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, says the car sales manager and takes a couple of looks at the car.
There is only one copy of this in the country now, and the price is around NOK 1.4 million. A bright red Audi GTRS worth two million and with almost a thousand horsepower is also on display.
Buyer’s market
But there are cars in completely different price ranges that car dealers believe and hope will boost car sales in the final months of 2024.
– Now, for example, you can find electric cars in all price ranges, with a long range and the option of a towing device, which is what Norwegian car buyers are interested in, says Jochumsen, who expects that it will be a buyer’s market for the most part. some time to come.
He believes that it is realistic that the same number of cars will be sold at Bilexpo as the car fair was held two years ago. About 100 sales contracts were then written.
Expanding the trade fair offers
– But we are not looking for impulse buys. Even if customers get all the models on one tray, they may spend a lot of time in the thinking box. So we are extending the trade fair offers next week. Buying a car is, after all, a big investment for people, says Jochumsen, who admits that both the factory, importer and car dealer quickly cut profits to maintain car sales. .
– Early this year it looked like it was going to be a gloomy year in terms of new car sales in Norway. Now it looks like we have about 125,000 new registrations, which is not bad at all, says Jochumsen, who is of course aware that American brands account for about a fifth of the new cars distributed on Norwegian roads. And so it was this brand, that is Tesla, that started the price.
Norway has priority
But the introduction of VAT on electric cars over NOK 500,000 also accelerated price reductions. Then many importers and dealers pushed the price of the car down to NOK 499,900.
Weak sales of electric cars in the rest of Europe have also led to Norway, with an electric car share of around 95 percent, getting priority from the factories.
– Who is Bilexpo aimed at, Jochumsen?
– In fact everyone who has a little interest in cars, or with thoughts about buying a car in the future. And for the youth, we have our own stand that shows the many educational opportunities in the automotive field. It should be interesting for both parents and the hopeful, says the chairman of the Norwegian Car Dealers Association. Which is betting on up to 5,000 visitors over the two days of the festival.
Promising long car jumps at the motor show
Pål Try (tv) and Atle Vik are behind the motor show that will be organized in Travparken late Saturday afternoon when the car fair closes its doors in Sørlandshallen.
Photo: Tor Mjaaland
When the fair doors close on Saturday in Sørlandshallen, the motor show starts in Travparken.
– We hope for 2-3,000 spectators, and soon the five hundred VIP seats will be sold, says one of the initiators of the car show, Atle Vik. He is the day-to-day service market manager at Gumpens Auto Vest, and now he is joined by Pål Try from Try and Frustøl Motorsport in the final push for the event, where the program mainly features amazing car jumps.
– We start with a car parade where the city’s car dealers show the latest news, and then move on to a car and motor show, says Vik, who has received registrations from 70 motor sports drivers.
Here is the Pål Try motorsport driver in action in Abu Dhabi. On Saturday, he jumps with the car in Travparken.
Photo: Private
Jump 20-40 meters
– On Friday evening, the work starts with a big jump. We have brought in 150 tons of sand and gravel and we will jump where we expect to rise at 20-40 meters, he says.
The cars that are going to jump quickly get up to 150-160 km/h, but they may reduce their speed a little when they get close to the jump, hopes Vik, who thinks that it is more fun that so many people have signed up for the VIP event.
– There will be a full Christmas dinner with side dishes two months before the Christmas celebration. He seems to have hit the spot. It’s obvious that people are ready for the Christmas spirit, said Atle Vik.
2024-10-18 05:26:00
#Showcasing #cars #huge #price #cuts
