Europe’s auto market is on the rise in September thanks to electric cars and China

Image: Tesla

New car registrations in Europe rose by 10 percent in September compared to the previous year. According to Automotive News, this is based on preliminary figures from market researcher Dataforce, which cover 98 percent of new car sales in the EU, UK, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. After nine months, sales have increased by 6.1 percent.

Registrations of pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) grew particularly sharply, increasing by 60 percent in September. This brought their market share to a record 30 percent, up by one percentage point from August. On an annual basis, BEV sales have risen by 42 percent.

Tesla had its best sales month in Europe to date, with a 71 percent increase. Sales of the Model 3 rose by 106 percent to 25,057 units, ranking behind the Model Y, whose sales increased by 55 percent to 40,971 units.

Chinese automakers continued their record-breaking streak, with sales rising by 104 percent in September compared to the previous year. This resulted in a historic market share of 14.5 percent. On an annual basis, Chinese vehicle sales have increased by 102 percent, accounting for a market share of 10.5 percent.

In September, Chinese brands dominated among manufacturers with the fastest growth. Leapmotor saw a 324 percent increase to 14,382 vehicles, while Chery grew by 263 percent, Xpeng by 229 percent, and the Geely Group by 151 percent. BYD rose by 102 percent and SAIC by 21 percent.

Among non-Chinese brands, Tata (+35%) and Mazda (+24%) outperformed in terms of market growth. Stellantis recorded a 5.1 percent increase, driven by Fiat and Citroën. Mercedes-Benz (+4%), Suzuki (+2.9%), and Toyota (+1.1%) also saw growth, while Honda and the BMW Group remained unchanged. Declines were recorded by Ford (-18%), Nissan (-14%), the Volkswagen Group (-2.8%), Hyundai-Kia (-2.7%), and the Renault Group (-0.8%).

While electric vehicle sales rose, figures for vehicles without high-voltage powertrains declined. Sales of non-hybrid gasoline cars dropped by 10 percent to a market share of 35 percent, while diesel sales fell by 19 percent to 7.1 percent. In contrast, plug-in hybrids increased by 25 percent to a share of 12 percent, and full hybrids rose by 9.3 percent to 13.4 percent.

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About the author

Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with experience in the automotive and financial industries. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.

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