Sunday 10th January 2021
New cars show off their power
Tesla effect brings more horsepower under the hood
In Germany there is only one direction in terms of horsepower: upwards. For 30 years, drivers have been reliably adding a little extra every year – also in 2020. Of all things, state-funded e-mobility is accelerating this development. Auto expert Dudenhöffer demands: take countermeasures.
The German driver loves full engine power on four wheels. Every time you buy a new car, you can always add a few more horsepower. Essentially nothing has changed in that regard for 30 years. Even if the corona pandemic caused the number of registrations for cars to collapse by 19 percent last year, the virus was unable to affect the horsepower trend.
An average new car had 165 hp under the hood last year, according to a study by auto expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. "This is a new high that we have achieved," says Dudenhöffer to ntv. "The Germans love horsepower and in 2020 they will have more horsepower again."
With plus 7 and plus 3 hp, the annual growth rates in 2019 and 2020 are even above the long-term trend. For comparison: in 2010 an average new car had "only" 130 hp under the hood. "PS is more fun. And the innovation bonus, which is paid out by the federal government, of course also means that more PS is bought," says the head of the CAR Center Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen ntv.
The decisive factor here is the strong growth in plug-in hybrids and electric cars among new vehicles, which now make up ten percent of Germany's roads. Especially the plug-in hybrids, which are popular as company cars, have a lot of horsepower under the hood. "With an average of 190 hp, they are significantly more powerful than the average new car with 165 hp," continues Dudenhöffer.
Tesla Model S with 999 PS
Where the electric cars are headed is obvious: if they had 119 hp in 2017, they are 169 hp today. Electric pioneer Tesla ignited the turbo in all-electric cars. The Model S from Elon Musk's forge has a whopping 999 hp, the Model 3 still has 306 hp. Dudenhöffer calls it the "Tesla Effect".
As new electric vehicles – for example from the VW forge – roll onto the market, it is likely to become somewhat weaker. However, the auto expert does not expect this to reverse the trend. Because even classic gasoline engines have grown significantly under the hood. SUVs, all of which are powered by more horsepower, also have their share in this development. In the past year, these cars have "once again significantly increased their average horsepower," it says.
"Despite climate and speed debates, the horsepower figures are increasing in the German car market," is the conclusion of the study. And "with the horsepower figures also the top speeds". This is unlikely to change anytime soon, predicts Dudenhöffer – even with a speed limit after the next federal election. "I'm not sure whether that was the goal of the federal government and the innovation bonus." He appeals to associations such as VDA or VDIK to encourage members to "calm down the performance race".
.