Seven million clicks for VW Golf

25 million visitors last year made Autoscout24 one of Switzerland’s largest online marketplaces for new, used and vintage cars. With a range of over 750,000 models advertised, it’s no wonder you’ll also find everything your heart desires here.

Autoscout24 has now evaluated the movements of 2022 on its platform and compiled interesting facts. This shows that a typical user is between 25 and 44 years old and uses the platform via cell phone in the evening. Also exciting is what is sought first.

Golf before the Porsche 911

In the parade where new car sales exploded, VW Golf had already lost its previous peak. It was “only” 8th in 2022, but the legendary VW Golf is still the leader in Autoscout24. A golf ad was clicked nearly seven million times. This is not surprising for Autoscout director Maurice Acker: “Golf has been around for almost 50 years, so it’s been known for many generations. Plus, the Golf is a very compact and versatile car.” After Golf, Porsche 911 took 2nd place with approximately 5.3 million clicks, Skoda Octavia took 3rd place with 2.5 million clicks BMW X5 and VW Tiguan completed the Top 5.

Internal combustion engines are still in demand

At the end of December 2021, it was still the most sought-after flatbed station wagon on Autoscout, but from May 2022 – who is surprised? – The SUV has been replaced. “Switzerland has been an SUV country for years. They are considered safe and their slightly elevated seating positions provide good visibility. Also,” says Maurice Acker, “an SUV is more of a status symbol than a station wagon or a small car.”

Looking at the “type of fuel” filter function, we see that conventional internal combustion engines are still the most frequently searched engines on Autoscout24. However, their share is declining. Compared to 2021, almost every third search query is now related to an electric vehicle.

surfing at home

“Based on our analysis, we see that people often search for make and model first,” says Mathias Jenny, Head of User Experience Research at Autoscout24. “Often they only limit their search to the next step more specifically, for example by build, fuel or colour.” So what were the trending colors last year? Quite monotonously, black is at the top, followed by white. But then it gets a little more colorful with blue and red in the 3rd and 4th rows, respectively. Gray is in 5th place.

Looking at the age structure, which has hardly changed in recent years, it is seen that almost half of the users are between the ages of 25 and 44. 18- to 24-year-olds make up the smallest proportion, at ten percent. “It’s not surprising,” says Jenny. Most young people do not yet have the money to buy a car. Also, car sharing with official providers or parents is more popular here.

But what has changed a lot is the way people look for their dream car. “While 50 years ago you were browsing through all the newspaper ads, now this is done virtually. “We’ve seen search on digital devices become very popular in recent years,” says Mathias Jenny. About 16 million, or 63 percent, of users searched the site from a mobile phone. Last year, that rate was around 40 percent. When the time of day is analyzed, it becomes clear: all bosses can breathe a sigh of relief. Autoscout users do not surf during office hours, but prefer to surf at home between 20:00 and 21:00 in the evening.

Source: Blick