Electric cars overtook diesel for the first time in new car sales in Europe in June, the manufacturers association (ACEA) announced on Wednesday.
With 158,000 vehicles sold, electric cars went from 10.7 to 15.1% of the market share in one year. Turnover increased enormously in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium in particular.
This increase was mainly caused by Tesla, which lowered its prices. One in five electric vehicles sold in Europe in the first half of the year is from the Elon Musk brand.
Hybrid car sales also received a strong boost and now represent 24.3% of the market, driven by sales in Germany, France and Italy.
Already, sales of rechargeable hybrids (which can be charged by plugging into an outlet or terminal) fell to 7.9% of the market in one year.
Petrol remains the main fuel for cars sold in the EU, accounting for 36.3% of June sales, up 11%.
“European car industry recovering from the logistical problems caused by the pandemic”
Overall, new car sales in Europe rebounded in the first half of the year, up 17.9% from 12 months.
However, despite the 5.4 million cars sold, the market slowed by 21% compared to the first half of 2019, the last year of all records before the covid-19 pandemic.
“The evolution of recent months shows that the European car industry is recovering from the logistical problems caused by the pandemic.ACEA underlined in a statement.
The European car market has returned to sustainable growth since August 2022, when the Covid-19 crisis, coupled with a shortage of parts, including critical electronic components, turned it upside down.
Source: DN
