Sales of new energy vehicles in Europe in March: BEV in Britain surpasses that in Germany (2)

PHEVs falling out of favor in Germany?

In March, the German electric vehicle market sold 61,762 units, with a share of 25.6%, a slight increase from 22.5% in the same period last year. Sales of pure electric vehicles rose while sales of plug-in hybrids fell amid a slump in the auto market. Overall vehicle sales totaled 241,000 units, down approximately 17.5% year-over-year and approximately 31% below the seasonal average from 2017 to 2019. Germany has launched an emergency plan to manage limited energy supplies, a measure that reduces the risk of a shock to industrial production in the coming months, including Tesla's new Berlin Gigafactory.

Electric vehicles' 25.6% market share in March included 14.3% pure electric vehicles (34,474 units sold) and 11.3% plug-in hybrid vehicles (27,288 units sold). Since it first appeared in the summer of 2021, Germany has been increasingly leaning towards pure electric vehicles over plug-in hybrids.

The share of BEVs continues to grow stronger than all other powertrains (even HEVs), growing from 10.3% in March 2021 to 14.3% last month, a relative increase of nearly 40%. Year-over-year sales growth was more modest (15.4%), but it was still a solid performance against a backdrop of a sharp decline in the overall auto market.

The problem is that HEV hybrids have been growing both in share and sales this year, and in March rose another 15.6% year-over-year, taking their market share to 20.1%. It begs the question, is the drop in PHEVs just a result of OEMs rushing to meet emissions targets late last year? Or have PHEVs fallen out of favor despite the €4,500 subsidy available?

KBA has yet to release detailed figures for the March model. What is known, though, is that the Tesla brand sold 8,045 vehicles that month, almost all Model Ys and Model 3s. This is 1.33 times the brand's February sales.

France has the most seats for small and micro electric cars

In March 2022, 31,525 electric vehicles were sold in France, Europe's second largest car market, with a market share of 21.4%, up from 16.1% in the same period last year. BEV sales of 19,835 units accounted for 13.5%, a relative increase of 59% compared to March 2021 (8.5% BEV). Plug-in hybrids sold 11,690 units with a 7.9 percent share, up just 4 percent. Compared with March 2019, before the Covid-19 outbreak, sales in the overall car market fell by about 35% to 147,077 units.

Tesla's quarter-end shipments surged in March, with the Tesla Model 3 topping the list with 3,882. Dacia Spring was second (2,111 units) and the Peugeot e-208 was third (1,842 units).

For the first time, the Citroen E-C4 is off the list. March sales of the E-C4 jumped sharply to 540 units, compared with a previous peak of 349 units, and the most recent monthly average has been around 280 units.

Number 2 to 6 in the French EV market are small and affordable vehicles that have long been the most popular models in this market.

Norway's EV share hits new high of 92%

Sales of electric vehicles in Norway reached 14,930 units in March, with a market share of 91.9%, of which 86.1% were pure electric vehicles (13,983 units sold). The overall vehicle market sold 16,238 units, an increase of about 6% year-on-year.

Tesla's Model Y topped the list in March, followed by the Model 3. The Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi Q4e-tron came in third and fourth place, respectively. The ID.4 saw volume growth in March, roughly double the recent monthly average.

In terms of group share over the past three months, the Volkswagen Group leads with 6,336 vehicles, followed by Tesla with 5,060 vehicles. The Hyundai Group came in third with 3,900 units. These three together account for more than 57% of the BEV market, with other manufacturers far behind.

Sweden's EV share reaches 56%

In March 2022, the Swedish electric vehicle market sold 15,949 units, with a share of 55.6%, much higher than the 37% in the same period last year. Pure electric vehicles alone accounted for nearly a third of the market, at 31.8%, with 9,142 units sold. The plug-in hybrid vehicle share was 23.7%, with 6,807 units sold. Overall vehicle sales totaled 28,706, down 16.6% from the pre-coronavirus seasonal norm.

There were no big surprises in March, with Tesla hitting its usual delivery peak at the end of the quarter, and the Model Y is now firmly ahead of the Model 3. The Volkswagen ID.4 and Kia Niro temporarily ditched their usual lead, taking third and fourth positions respectively in March.

The Swiss Volvo XC40 and Polestar2 continued their sales growth in March, ranking 5th and 6th respectively, helping to increase the overall EV share.

The Swedish automotive industry association Mobility Sweden (formerly BIL Sweden) reports that the Ukraine crisis has exacerbated existing European automotive supply chain problems, especially around chips, through disruptions in the supply chain of components, raw material supply and energy price shocks. bad. This will squeeze the availability of the auto market in 2022. Overall economic inflation, particularly around energy, transportation and food prices, and subsequent consumer budget concerns, could also squeeze auto demand.

Since many of Sweden's best-selling BEVs are currently made in Asia (Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, and Polestar), their components, materials, and energy supply chains are likely to face fewer (though not immune) disruptions.

‍