Auto assembly is becoming an increasingly important economic factor in Austria, with 230,505 vehicles produced in 2005, an increase of 1.5 percent over 2004. Operations in this country are unique in the world, because there is no OEM assembly. Instead, the Magna facilities in the Austrian city of Graz produce several small series for various makers on a contract basis. This means that the product mix is constantly shifting according to manufacturer needs.
At the end of 2005, there were 6.2 million cars and trucks registered in Austria, of which 4.2 million were classified as non-commercial passenger vehicles. Over half of these vehicles were built in Germany, and only 1.3 percent in the United States. Leading automakers are the VW/Audi group, Opel Germany, PSA, Renault, and Ford Germany. New registrations in 2005 totaled 308,000, down slightly from the 2004 total of 311,000. Heading the charts in new registrations are the same auto manufacturers that lead the pack in total registrations, the VW group, with 31 percent, Opel with 9 percent, and PSA with 9.5 percent. Austria is unusual in that over half of all cars and 65 percent of new registrations are powered by diesel engines.
The average passenger vehicle life in Austria is 8.9 years, and approximately 50 percent of the cars on the road here are 7 years old or younger. The average distance driven per vehicle and year is estimated at around 13,500 kilometers, a figure that has been falling over the long term due to an increase in the number of two-car households and the increasing affordability of air travel.
