The Research Center at the University Duisburg-Essen provides a yearly interesting statistics on Europeans preferences for cars, depending on their power. And the results are contrary to expectations. With all the green car campaigns that are going on and the authorities’ investment in the creation of infrastructure for power supply stations or unconventional fuels, the horse-power is the most important feature fro Germans when they pick a new car.
Germans of the Research Center at the University of Duisburg-Essen conducted a study on the average power of cars bought in Germany. Surprisingly, although Germany has the most ambitious program to promote green transportation, they notice an increasing trend of powerful cars.
More specifically, the average power of the cars sold in the first seven months of 2012 is 138 hp, up from previous years: in 2011 it was 135 hp and 130 hp in 2010. It is well above average in other European countries.
The top of brands is dominated, no surprises, by Porsche, with an average power of 323 hp, followed by BMW with 194 hp, Audi – 179 hp, and Mercedes-Benz with 175 hp. Speaking of the leading manufacturers, Opel “dominates” Volkswagen, with an average of 126 hp to 124 hp.
One of the explanations is related to technological developments that manufacturers take into consideration when launching a new model or an improved engine, as the clients think that “more is better”. On the other hand, the fact that on the famous Autobahn there are many sections without speed limit makes many customers prefer the more powerful cars.
On the other hand, the study also shows that, in general, car manufacturers have come a long way in terms of gas mileage and CO2 emissions: even though Germans buy more powerful cars, they are less polluting than before. But for a drastic decrease in pollution, customers should focus more on less powerful machines, concludes the study.
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