AUTONEWS

New vehicle sales slow in the European Union

New vehicle registrations in the European Union fell 3% in May, with falls in all main markets except Spain, where sales increased 3.4%, according to data published this Thursday by the European Association of Car Manufacturers ( ACEA).

Sales of new vehicles fell in May in Italy (6.6%), Germany (4.3%) and France (2.9%) compared to May last year, says the European automotive industry association in communicated.

But the accumulated value between January and May 2024 in the EU shows growth of 4.6%, with 4.6 million units, the automotive industry association said in a statement.

The data puts battery electric cars with a market share in the EU of 12.5%, compared to 13.8% a year earlier, after a 12% drop in May to 114,308 units.

Belgium and France were the only major markets where battery electric vehicles advanced, with growth of 44.8% and 5.4%, while sales declined significantly in Germany (30.6%) and the Netherlands (11.7%) and, to a lesser extent, in Spain (0.4%).

Between January and May, 556,276 new battery electric cars were registered in the EU, representing an increase of 2% compared to the same period last year.

Electric hybrids, on the other hand, continued to expand, growing from 25% to almost 30% of the market, ACEA said, adding that, despite the overall market decline, it was the only segment to show growth, with records of 16.2% in May to more than 272,568 units, the industry said.

Sales of electric hybrids increased strongly in France (38.3%), Spain (25.4%) and Italy (7.4%), while Germany recorded a slight decline of 0.7%.

With regard to plug-in hybrids, registrations fell by 14.7%, with significant drops in Belgium (36.6%), France (19.4%) and Spain (20.3%) and a slight increase in Germany (1.7%), which was not enough to offset the “negative global trend”.

This type of engine represented 6.5% of the market in May, with 59,333 units sold.

Sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles decreased by 5.6%, to 323,551 units, which meant that their market share stood at 48.5%, compared to 52.1% a year ago.

Sales of vehicles with combustion engines decreased in France (20.3%) and Spain (1.8%), but increased in Italy (4.1%) and Germany (2.1%).

Petrol cars maintained a market share of 35.5%, compared to 36.5% a year ago, and diesel cars 13%, with sales decreasing 11.4% to 118,733 units.

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