Posted Jul 20, 2022, 10:55 AMUpdated on Jul 20, 2022 at 11:34 am
Shortage of semiconductors, Russian invasion in Ukraine, inflation… so many parameters affecting registration figures in Europe in the second quarter. Sales of new cars with gasoline or diesel engines have collapsed, while hybrid and electric vehicles have continued to conquer the market, according to figures published on Wednesday by manufacturers.
In a market paralyzed by the lack of electronic components, sales of gasoline cars fell by 22.2% over one year, with 909,000 vehicles. They accounted for 38.5% market share in the second quarter in the European Union. Diesel models fell by 27.7%, with 409,000 vehicles sold. Or 17.3% of sales, against another 20.2% over the same period in 2021.
Hybrids down slightly
Hybrid cars, driven by bonuses and promoted by manufacturers, saw their sales decline only slightly (-2.2%), with sharp declines in Italy and Germany. This category of vehicles is also affected by supply pressures for certain components as well as by the general rise in prices. However, the market share of hybrids continued to grow: they now represent 22.6% of sales.
Plug-in hybrid cars, for their part, remained on a downward trend that began at the end of 2021 (-12.5%), with a very marked decline in France and Germany. Their actual CO2 emissions are heavily criticized. These vehicles now represent 8.7% of sales, with 206,000 cars sold in the last three months.
All-electric speeds up
The category of 100% electric cars is the only one whose sales increased (+11%) over the quarter. No less than 243,000 cars have been sold. Its conquest of the market is, however, slowed down by supply problems. The category now represents 9.9% of sales.
This limited performance can be explained by the supply difficulties of one of the European market leaders, Volkswagen, linked to the production of certain parts in Ukraine slowed down by the war. Sales of electric vehicles from the German group fell 16.5% in the second quarter in Europe, while they rose 33.6% in the first quarter.
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