The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) revealed on Thursday that new car sales in the European Union (EU) fell by 5.2%, the first drop of the year, to 1 million units.
In a statement, ACEA stated that in March, “there was a shift in the composition of the car market, with battery electric vehicles falling to a market share of 13%, down from 13.9% last year, while electric hybrids rose to 29%, up from 24.4%. Meanwhile, combined petrol and diesel models captured less than half of the market at 47.8%, down from 51.8% last year”.
As a result, sales of 100% electric cars dropped by 11.3% to 134,397 units, which according to ACEA “reflects the broader market downturn”. Among the three largest electric vehicle markets, Belgium (+23.8%) and France (+10.9%) saw double-digit increases, while Germany experienced a significant decrease of 28.9%.
These numbers led the 100% electric vehicle market to finish the first quarter of 2024 with a total of 332,999 new registered cars, representing a 3.8% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Hybrid model sales were on the rise, with a 12.6% increase in registrations in March, despite the overall market decline. France and Italy, two of the three largest hybrid model markets, saw significant increases of 29.6% and 8.3%, respectively. However, Germany saw a decrease of 0.3%.
On the other hand, plug-in hybrid registrations fell by 6.5% last month, with Germany and Belgium recording decreases of 4.5% and 15.3%, respectively. France bucked the trend with an increase of 3.6%. In March, plug-in hybrids accounted for 73,029 units sold, which is equivalent to 7.1% of the total automotive market.
Contributing to the decline in the European Union market in March were combustion engines, gasoline, and diesel. Sales of gasoline models saw a decrease of 10.2%, with significant reductions in most EU markets, including France (-17.7%), Spain (-10.1%), and Germany (-3.4%). Italy, on the other hand, experienced growth with an increase of 5.7%.
The decline in the diesel vehicle market was even more pronounced, with a 18.5% drop in March. France (-32.1%), Spain (-38%), and Italy (-27.6%) were the markets with the most significant declines, while Germany only saw a slight reduction of 0.5%. Diesel car sales totaled 128,227 units.
