Europe car sales rise 10% in September as EV surge offsets combustion slump

Oct 22 : Strong demand for electrified cars helped Europe's new-car market grow in September, offsetting another sharp decline in petrol and diesel vehicle sales, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association showed on Thursday.

New-car registrations, a proxy for sales, rose 10.2 per cent year-on-year to 1.36 million vehicles across the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association, ACEA said.

Demand for electrified vehicles remained strong across major European markets, supported by purchase incentives and a broader model lineup.

• Battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid car registrations jumped 59.9 per cent, 24 per cent and 5.3 per cent, respectively, and together accounted for 76.2 per cent of all new vehicles

• Petrol and diesel registrations fell 20.6 per cent and 28.2 per cent

• Chinese automakers continued to gain ground, with Chery and BYD nearly tripling and doubling sales, respectively, while Geely and SAIC reported increases of more than 33 per cent and 23 per cent

• The four Chinese carmakers' combined market share rose to 14.6 per cent from 9.6 per cent a year earlier

• Registrations at Volkswagen and Renault declined between 2.9 per cent and 0.7 per cent, while Stellantis gained 4.5 per cent; the three automakers' combined market share fell to 43.7 per cent from 48.4 per cent