New car sales in Europe rose for the fifth month in a row, helped by a jump in electric vehicle registrations in key markets such as Germany, Italy and Spain, but overall volumes remain well below pre-pandemic levels.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, the performance of the major electric car companies varied, as Tesla‘s registrations declined by 11.8%, affected by intensifying competition and marketing pressures, while its competitor, BYD, recorded a huge jump of 221.8%, bringing its market share (2%) close to that of the American company (2.1%).
Data issued on Tuesday showed that sales in the European Union, Britain, and European Free Trade Association countries increased by 2.4%, reaching 1.1 million cars in November, and registrations of Volkswagen and Renault cars increased by 4.1% and 3%, respectively.
The share of electric car registrations, which is an indicator of sales, was 21% in the European Union, 26% in the United Kingdom, and 98% in Norway, and electric and hybrid cars combined accounted for 65.6% of total EU registrations.
This comes after the European Commission announced last week a plan to abandon the actual ban on internal combustion engine cars by 2035, after pressure from the automotive sector in the region, which represents the European Union’s largest retreat from its environmental policies in recent years.
