Demand for cars from the European market rose 9.2% in September 2023. A total of 861,062 cars were sold in the European Union (EU), marking the 14th consecutive month of growth for the European market. Most of the vehicles sold at present are hybrid vehicles, plug-in and unplugged.
This is according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). Fully electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 14.8% of all vehicles sold in September 2023. This is a slight increase from the 14.1% in the same period a year earlier. It is the third month in 2023 where demand for EVs exceeded demand for diesel cars.
High demand for hybrid vehicles
Hybrid vehicles are also in relatively high demand. For instance, 27.3% of all vehicles sold in the EU in September were hybrid vehicles (HEVs), while 8.2% were plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). Together, the two variants account for 35.5%.
At the same time, demand for fossil-fuelled vehicles remains robust. For instance, 34.1% of all cars sold in September still have a petrol engine. 12.7% of cars sold are diesel vehicles.
Large differences between EU member states
a total of 127,149 EVs were sold in September 2023. Large differences can be seen between the different EU member states. For instance, the Netherlands (+70.8%), Sweden (+60.7%) and France (+34.2%) are positive outliers within this segment. In contrast, Germany is currently doing poorly; demand from Germany has fallen by as much as 28.6%. ACEA points to the expiry of incentives for private buyers as an explanation.
At the same time, demand for HEVs from Germany actually increased the most. German demand increased by 44.1%. Demand also rose sharply from Italy (+34.8%) and France (+30.2%). Looking at the European market as a whole, demand for HEVs rose by 28.8%. In absolute numbers, nearly 2 million HEVs were sold in the first three quarters of 2023.
Demand for PHEVs is relatively stable in the EU, rising 0.4%. A total of 70,578 PHEVs were sold by September 2023. Positive outliers in this segment are France (+35.1%) and Belgium (+71.4%). German demand also declined sharply in this segment, at -45.7%. At the same time, Germany is still the largest sales market for PHEVs. Overall, the market share of PHEVs in the EU fell from 8.9% to 8.2%.
Demand for petrol cars rises
The European petrol car market grew by 5.5% in September 2022. at the same time, however, the market share of these vehicles is declining from 35.3% to 34.1%. Also in this segment, we see big differences between EU member states. For instance, demand from Italy rose by a whopping 32.2%. Germany follows with an increase of 9.1%. Other markets in which there is more demand for petrol cars are Spain (+3.2%) and France (+1.4%).
Demand for diesel cars is actually declining, falling 12.5% in September. An exception is Germany, where demand actually increased by 4.6%. In most other EU member states, demand for diesel cars actually declined. Diesel now accounts for 12.7% of the passenger car market. This was 15.9% in September last year.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source photo: Pixabay / Paul Brennan
