The great times of the car as a cult object, as an irrefutable member of the family, as a vehicle for freedom and as an emotional factor in life seem to be coming to an end, films such as those in the ‘Fast and Furious’ series resemble one or another way out of place and the freedom and adventure- The journey of “Thelma & Louise” in their ’66 Thunderbird was over 30 years ago. But: in fact, the emotional importance of the car is apparently increasing for most Austrians.
This is the result of an Integrated Survey for AutoScout24 among 500 Austrian drivers. For 84 percent of them the car is important or very important.
“We face the great challenge of reconciling personal mobility and climate protection. Alternative drive systems are an important part. But our research also shows that not only do two-thirds of Austrians depend on the car in everyday life, but that it also has great emotional significance for many. This fact should not be ignored in future planning,” says Nikolaus Menches, Country Manager of AutoScout24 in Austria.
Its importance is constantly increasing
Having your own car not only remains important, its importance has even increased over the years. In 2020, 48 percent of respondents said that their own car was very important to them, in 2023 this was still more than half at 52 percent and in 2024 no less than 56 percent said ‘the car is very important to me’.
This applies to women at 58 percent more than to men at 55 percent. In the 18 to 30 age group, strong loyalty rose from 46 percent to 59 percent. For 30 to 50 year olds, however, having their own set of wheels is most important: 64 percent love their car.
As you get older, your connection to the vehicle diminishes. For 49 percent of people over 50, the car is very important, which means that its value has fallen since last year (56 percent).
Upper Austria and Salzburg with the strongest approval
If we look at the federal states, Upper Austria and Salzburg stand out with a high car interest of 68 percent each, followed by Lower Austria and Burgenland (57 percent). For the Viennese (14 percent) it is not that important. Two-thirds of people who commute by car estimate the value of their car to be very high, as do those who drive more than 20,000 kilometers per year. If there are children in the household, the car is also valued significantly higher (62 percent).
The connection to public transport influences the importance of the car
The good connection to public transport also partly influences the love for the car. But even with a very good public transport infrastructure, every second respondent indicates that there is a very high emotional bond with their own vehicle; with poor or non-existent public transport connections, 64 percent confirm this statement.
And Thelma and Louise? In times of climate change, these could be set up symbolically for the world and its inhabitants. The two eventually crashed their Ford convertible into the Grand Canyon hand in hand.
For the trend research, Integraal market and opinion research interviewed 500 Austrian car owners between the ages of 18 and 69 online for AutoScout24 in February 2024, representative of this target group.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
