Plug-in hybrids are threatened with a drastic drop in value

Munich, Stuttgart Two drives, zero problems: BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen like to praise their plug-in hybrids as true all-rounders. If you charge the vehicles regularly, you can drive to work fully electrically in everyday life and, thanks to the additional combustion engine, you don’t have to accept any limitations in range over longer distances. “The best of both worlds” is how Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, describes the concept.

But the business with plug-in hybrids threatens to become a significant risk for domestic vehicle manufacturers in the coming years, warns the Center Automotive Research (CAR) in a new study that is exclusively available to the Handelsblatt. CAR Director Ferdinand Dudenhöffer even speaks of a “potential time bomb for car manufacturers”. And car buyers who want to get rid of their plug-in hybrid in years to come could also experience a negative surprise.