New car sales in Europe fell by 18.3% in August.

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has announced new car registration data for EU countries for August. According to the data, new car sales in EU countries fell by 18.3% last month compared to the same month in 2023, totaling 643,637 units.

Of the new cars sold in member countries, 33.1% were gasoline, 31.3% were hybrid, 14.4% were electric, 11.2% were diesel, 7.1% were plug-in hybrids, and 2.9% were vehicles using other fuel types.

DISAPPOINTMENT IN ELECTRIC CARS

In the same period last year, the share of electric cars in total sales was at 21%. The fact that electric car sales in August fell by 43.9% compared to the same period last year, totaling 92,627 units, drew attention. It was noted that the share of electric cars in total sales is rapidly declining.

New car sales in August decreased by 27.8% in Germany, 24.3% in France, 13.4% in Italy, and 6.5% in Spain compared to the same period last year.

On the other hand, total sales in the January-August period increased by 1.4% compared to the same period last year, reaching 7,180,492.

VOLKSWAGEN AT THE TOP OF MARKET SHARE IN THE EU

According to manufacturers, Volkswagen Group had the highest new car sales in the EU in August, with 179,041 vehicles sold.

Following Volkswagen Group was Stellantis Group, which sold 92,667 cars, including brands like Peugeot, Fiat, Citroen, and Opel.

Renault Group ranked third with 64,392 new cars, while Hyundai Group came in fourth with 56,450 new cars.

CALL FOR URGENT ACTION

Following the data, the European automotive industry called for urgent action against the declining demand for electric vehicles.

In a statement from ACEA, it was expressed that "the continuous trend of shrinking market share for electric cars in the EU sends an extremely concerning message to the industry and policymakers."

The statement demanded that EU institutions take urgent measures before new carbon targets for cars and vans come into effect in 2025, noting that the sector lacks the necessary conditions to ensure the required increase in the production of zero-emission vehicles and that steps need to be taken in this area.