Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
New car sales in Europe rose by 0.8% to 10.6 million units in 2024, supported by double-digit growth in hybrid vehicle registrations, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) showed.
Registrations of plug-in hybrid vehicles fell by 6.8% compared to 2023, while battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) saw their market share decline to 13.6% from 14.6% in 2023.
BEV sales continued to surpass diesel vehicle sales, as diesel’s market share dropped to 11.9%. Petrol-powered vehicles maintained their leading position with a 33.3% market share, followed by hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) accounted for 30.9% of sales.
Last week, ACEA’s new President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Ola Källenius sent a letter to the European Commission warnings that “the transformation in Europe is not progressing at the pace required.”
“That pace is set by customers and market conditions. For zero-emissions mobility to flourish, the ecosystem as a whole must become more attractive to customers,” Källenius wrote. “Promoting the purchase and use of electric and electrified vehicles with fiscal and non-financial incentives would certainly help to move towards a self-propelling market.”
In December, BEV registrations fell 10.2% year-on-year to 144,367 units, largely due to significant declines in Germany (-38.6%) and France (-20.7%). This contributed to an overall 5.9% decline in BEV registrations for 2024 compared to the previous year, reducing the segment’s market share to 13.6%.
Plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) registrations increased by 4.9% in December, driven by growth in France (44.9%) and Germany (6.8%). However, full-year PHEV volumes for 2024 were 6.8% lower than in 2023.
In a reaction to the tariffs on China-made EVs, ACEA reiterated last year the critical role of free and fair trade in enabling a globally competitive European automotive industry.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
