German Car Buyers Are Aging

The median age of car buyers in Germany is rising. Today, 47 percent of new car buyers are older than 50; more than 60 percent will be over 50 by 2015, the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported, based on a prognosis from the B&D Forecast institute. For auto makers, that means lower sales over the long term, the study said. The young seniors drive fewer kilometers in a year and buy more expensive cars, which they then keep for longer than average. Also, the development engineers need to tailor their work toward this target group, which places greater importance on security and comfort features than younger buyers.