Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Fully electric car sales in Europe increased 37.3% in January, industry data showed. However, this was not enough to make up for a drop in petrol and diesel sales, which left overall sales down by 2.1%.
Statistics from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) revealed that the all-electric brand Tesla witnessed a 45.2% drop in the European Union, UK and the European Free Trade Area, while sales at its Chinese competitor SAIC Motor, which holds the MG brand, increased 36.8%.
As reported, European Union carmakers, which are working to compete with Chinese rivals and bracing for U.S. tariffs, are insisting the EU Commission offer relief from potential penalties resulting from CO2 car emission regulations that came into effect in January.
Some automakers have raised the costs of petrol engine models to promote EV adoption, but the industry worries that customers will simply purchase fewer cars. Electric transport companies, instead, argue that any push to dilute the targets will undermine investments in EV infrastructure and impede the bloc’s competitiveness.
Which European markets saw the biggest sales decline?
January sales in the European Union, UK and EFTA declined slightly below 1 million cars sold, the lowest volume since August. Registrations at Volkswagen and Renault increased by 5.3% and 5.4% respectively, while they dropped by 16% at Stellantis.
In the European Union, January sales dropped by 2.6%, even as the registrations of battery electric (BEV) and hybrid electric (HEV) cars increased by 34% and 18.4% respectively. Instead, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales decreased by 8.5%.
Electrified vehicles – either HEV, BEV or PHEV – sold in the EU made up 57.2% of passenger car registrations in January, an increase from 47.4% in the earlier year. Among the largest European Union markets, Spain sales rose by 5.3%, while in France, Italy and Germany they declined by 6.2%, 5.8% and 2.8%. In the UK, they declined by 2.5%.
