ALMA MEDIA'S CAR TRADE DATA REVEALS: HYBRIDS WILL CONTINUE TO WIN IN 2024

Alma Media Corporation                        Press release                      14 February 2024 

Alma Media's News on car trade webinar on Wednesday 14 February 2024 covered, among other things, the winners and losers of last year's car trade, consumer behaviour and forecast for 2024 based on the figures for the early part of the year. The information is based on data from Nettiauto and Autotalli.com, one of the leading car marketplaces in Finland.  

Historical turn in favor of hybrids  

Already last year can be said to have been a year of hybrids, and in 2024 the winning streak is predicted to continue.

"When you look at the distribution of different driving forces in different price ranges, it seems that a historical turnaround in favour of hybrids is taking place. According to car trade figures from the early part of the year , slightly more hybrids have been traded in number of units and clearly more in turnover than in the previous year. If the hybrids were strong already last year, we can now talk about the leap from the beginning of the year," says Erno Kalalahti, Business Manager at Alma Media's Nettiauto.  

Data from Nettiauto, the largest car marketplace in Finland, reveals that combustion engine cars are relatively similar in terms of fuel to last year, while diesel has declined. Electric cars have continued to grow in popularity when viewed by the number of units sold, while hybrids have risen both by the number of units sold and by the turnover of the cars sold.  

"Of course, this is a multifaceted phenomenon, and more factors affect the situation. In the next few weeks, uncertainty related to the decline in the value of electric cars, for example, has been raised in public debate, which in turn also affects consumers' intentions to buy. But the purchase data gives clear directional signs for the hybrids to win," Kalalahti ponders.   

Automotive data resides in Alma  

The data collected by Alma Media in the marketplaces for motoring and traffic provides unique information on vehicle trade, buyers' preferences and search methods, and market developments. Through an online car marketplace Nettiauto, up to 600,000 cars change owners every year. Each week, the service reaches over 900,000 visitors (source: Google Analytics).   

"In the Nettiauto marketplace, we have the data of 11.9 million car adverts during the last fifteen years. This information is complemented by the data of our second marketplace, Autotalli.com, our regular customer surveys, and, if necessary, information obtained also from external sources," describes Kalalahti.   

Alma's motoring data is used by several Finnish authorities, such as the Tax authorities for motoring taxation decisions and Statistics Finland for calculating the Consumer Price Index. Alma Media also provides selected data as a basis for academic research. 

Alma Media is developing the vehicle trade towards the future by utilising the opportunities provided by digitalisation and in close cooperation with the operators in the industry. Alma's motoring and mobility entity includes, for example, marketplaces Nettiauto and Autotalli.com, exchange car auctions Baana and Tukkuautot.fi, and vehicle trading systems such as Websales and NettixPro. Media such as Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Talouselämä from Alma Media Group cover topics related to motoring and the car market. 

For more information:   

Business Manager Erno Kalalahti, tel. +358 40 840 0723, erno.kalalahti@almamedia.fi