The sales of cars new cars with petrol or diesel engines collapsed in the second quarter in Europe, while hybrids and electric cars continued to conquer the market, according to figures released by manufacturers on Wednesday.
In a market paralyzed by the shortage of electronic components, sales of cars gasoline engines fell by 22.2% over one year, with 909,000 vehicles, and accounted for 38.5% of the market in the second quarter in the European Union.
Diesel models fell by 27.7%, with 409,000 vehicles sold, and only represented 17.3% of sales, against another 20.2% over the same period in 2021. hybrid cars (oil and diesel), driven by bonuses, promoted by manufacturers, but held back by shortages and the economic context, saw their sales fall slightly in the EU (-2.2%), with sharp declines in Italy and in Germany.
Electric cars on the rise
But the market share of hybrids continued to grow: they now represent 22.6% of sales. Plug-in hybrids, for their part, remained on a downward trend that began at the end of 2021 (-12.5%), with a very marked decline in France and Germany, while their emissions of CO2 real ones are strongly criticized. They now represent 8.7% of sales, with 206,000 cars sold.
The category of 100% electric cars is the only one to progress (+11%), with 243,000 cars sold, but its conquest of the market is also slowed down by supply problems. It represents 9.9% of sales. This limited performance can be explained by the supply difficulties of one of the European market leaders, Volkswagen, linked to the production of certain parts in Ukraine, slowed down by the war. The German group’s electrical sales fell 16.5% in the second quarter in Europe, while they rose 33.6% in the first quarter.