What has happened since the financing bonds expired? The automakers stepped in, selflessly made sacrifices and paid the bonus amount out of their own pockets. This is noble at first glance.

But seriously: how can the automotive industry cope with such margin declines and at the same time invest billions in the development of electric mobility? This is only possible if the margins were previously fantastic. On the contrary, this means that the prices charged until then were absurdly high and were only leveled by financing bonuses. So the buyer has purchased a vehicle at a reasonable price, even if the premium makes it seem like a bargain. That's really the scam of the furniture industry: 20 percent off everything, price guaranteed, and everyone knows how cheap we are anyway. That gives you a good feeling, but the recommended retail price was more of an illegal price.

“Bloodbath” in electric cars? Car manufacturers have lined their pockets

The bad aftertaste remains that my neighbor's car was also financed with my taxes, because the financing does not come from donations from the Greens or from the private coffers of the Chancellor or the Minister of Finance. He also likes to drive combustion engines from Zuffenhausen. But the manufacturers have lined their pockets with this price. Now that the German cash cow is dead, fierce competition begins.

Once the financing ends, prices in the market fall. What did VW do? Renault, Dacia or Fiat? They want to increase their sales, no matter what it takes. And that can be expensive: not in vain does Stellantis have it -Chief Tavars warned in the “Financial Times” of a “bloodbath” if companies cut prices too brutally. tesla Chinese manufacturer BYD has lowered the price several times It was even better.

The Chinese in general. They have staying power, lower prices, and smile while the market turns. Correctly rotated. Not in vain car rental companies like Sixt and Hertz reduced or banned its fleet of electric cars. The same is not true for BYD vehicles, because the Chinese are said to have provided extensive residual value guarantees.

Like a lawnmower on a BMW 5 Series

And what does this mean for private clients? He is restless. Let's make it clear with an example: You have a combustion engine and you want to change it for an electric car with low CO2 emissions. Buy, seriously? With the current price drop? Or do you prefer to rent? And what about the batteries? Have they made such strides in innovation in two years that my 24-month-old car still has a beautiful body, but the powertrain is as outdated as if a lawn mower were powering a modern BMW 5 Series? This will be a slow seller. And with competitive pricing, used electric car prices are also going down.

The private customer who is not completely stupid does not currently buy an electric car. If he wants one, he rents it. And only with kilometer leasing, not with residual value leasing. Otherwise, there is a risk of another cost trap if the electric car loses a lot of value during the lease period. If you really want to look for a bargain, you should look into used electric cars. In particular, used Teslas should be available at a low price.