Think Danes only ride bikes? Think again. Record car sales for sixth year in a row.
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
Published: 2 Jan, 2017 CET.
Updated: Mon 2 Jan 2017 13:47 CET
The outside world might think of Denmark as a bicycling utopia, but in reality Danes are as dependent upon their cars as other developed nations.
In 2016, auto sales in Denmark reached a record high with 222,924 personal vehicles sold according to figures released on Monday by the Danish Car Importers Association (De Danske Bilimportører – DBI).
The sale were 7.3 percent higher than in 2015 and 2016 was the seventh year in a row that Danes increased their vehicle purchases and the sixth consecutive year in which all-times sales records were set.
Gunni Mikkelsen, the CEO of DBI, said the increase can be attributed to several factors.
“We continue to see low interest rates, a general increase in real wages, a slight increase in employment and thus a need for labour mobility and last but not least there has been a generally high legvel of consumer confidence,” he said.
“These are the things that have helped ensure record-high car sales again this year,” Mikkelsen added.
DBI’s figures also showed that Danes are purchasing larger vehicles than in previous years. In 2016, sales of microcars and compact models accounted for less than half of the total personal vehicle sales.
The record car sales are not, however, a sign that Danes have suddenly fallen out of love with the bicycle. Particularly in the capital, cycling is as popular as ever, with 2016 also going down as the year in which bicycles outnumbered cars in Copenhagen for the first time ever.
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In 2016, auto sales in Denmark reached a record high with 222,924 personal vehicles sold according to figures released on Monday by the Danish Car Importers Association (De Danske Bilimportører – DBI).
The sale were 7.3 percent higher than in 2015 and 2016 was the seventh year in a row that Danes increased their vehicle purchases and the sixth consecutive year in which all-times sales records were set.
Gunni Mikkelsen, the CEO of DBI, said the increase can be attributed to several factors.
“We continue to see low interest rates, a general increase in real wages, a slight increase in employment and thus a need for labour mobility and last but not least there has been a generally high legvel of consumer confidence,” he said.
“These are the things that have helped ensure record-high car sales again this year,” Mikkelsen added.
DBI’s figures also showed that Danes are purchasing larger vehicles than in previous years. In 2016, sales of microcars and compact models accounted for less than half of the total personal vehicle sales.
The record car sales are not, however, a sign that Danes have suddenly fallen out of love with the bicycle. Particularly in the capital, cycling is as popular as ever, with 2016 also going down as the year in which bicycles outnumbered cars in Copenhagen for the first time ever.
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