Car manufacturers sold significantly more cars in Germany and the European Union (EU) in April. The number of newly registered cars in the EU rose by 13.7 percent to almost 914,000 compared to the same month last year, as the industry association Acea announced in Brussels on Wednesday. Car sales were still falling in March. Especially in key markets Germany, Spain, France and Italy Car manufacturers recorded some significant increases.
Business was particularly good in Spain, where almost a quarter more cars were sold, and in Germany, with an increase of a fifth. In France, sales increased by almost 11 percent and in Italy by 7.7 percent. The increase could be partly explained by the early Easter date, because April 2024 had two more working days than the same month last year, it was said. Since January, sales have totaled almost 3.7 million vehicles, 6.6 percent more than a year ago.
Hybrid cars are particularly in demand
In April, hybrid vehicles in particular dominated the number of new registrations. They expanded their market share to 29.1 percent. Battery-powered vehicles accounted for around 12 percent, largely thanks to increasing demand in France and Belgium.
“What we are currently seeing is the opposite of the planned ramp-up of electromobility. This situation is worrying,” said mobility expert Constantin M. Gall from the management consultancy EY, according to a statement. Instead of constant sales growth, we are currently seeing “a renaissance of the combustion engine”. Gall demanded planning security from politicians.
The Volkswagen-Group (VW, Skoda, Audi, Seat, Cupra, Porsche) remained the market leader in the EU. Gasoline and diesel cars, on the other hand, were less in demand: together they now account for 48.9 percent of total sales, previously it was 52.8 percent.
According to Acea, 6.6 percent more cars have been newly registered since the turn of the year – the total number rose to almost 3.7 million.