Details of the 52nd Autofestival in Luxembourg were presented on Monday at a press conference organised by ADAL (Association des Distributeurs Automobiles Luxembourgeois) and FEGARLUX (Fédération des Garagistes du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg) at the Chambre des Métiers in Luxembourg-Kirchberg with Luxembourg's Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Francois Bausch: the festival will span 11 days, from 23 January to 1 February 2016.
Over this period, thousands of people are expected to visit car showrooms across the Grand Duchy to discover new trends in the automobile sector and to take advantage of attractive promotions on the sale of new cars.
Ernest Pirsch, President of FEGARLUX, announced that the number of cars registered in Luxembourg in 2015 fell by 6.75%, with the rise in VAT in January 2015 certainly playign a part. However, fleet sales cushioned the drop in private sales.
Ed Goedert, President of ADAL, presented the results of the year 2015 and expressed satisfaction with the place of the Luxembourg automotive market within Europe, with the 17,600 new registrations in Germany and 24,000 new registrations in Switzerland both far behind the 49,000 new registrations over the same 12-month period in Luxembourg (2014).
Minister Bausch announced that the reform of Technical Inspection (Contrôle technique) will definitely take effect on 1 February 2016. He also confirmed that company vehicles will not be penalised under the tax reform but various incentives should direct motorists to select more environmentally friendly vehicles. He also referred to the issue of driverless vehicles which he stated are not a futuristic fantasy, but rather a phenomenon which, with the support of digital giants, will soon become reality.
Looking forward to 2016, three major trends are expected to have an influence in Luxembourg:
- Connectivity in cars with tablets and smartphones is not new, but it still offers new opportunities for features and new benefits.
- Assistance systems will become more efficient and developed. From parking assistance with automatic calls in case of distress through alerts when crossing lines and emergency brake, manufacturers are still pushing technology further for the safety of drivers and passengers.
- The use of hybrid vehicles as a temporary solution to respect the environment - they can limit the use of fossil fuels while maintaining the power and autonomy of the vehicle.
Ultimately, the planned improved and expanded charging infrastructure network will facilitate the increase in the sale of electric vehicles that are more respectful of our planet.
