ELECTRIC CARS MOVING QUICKLY
IS the electric revolution finally gaining unstoppable momentum? That’s how it appears in the July figures for car sales across Europe.
Market analysis company JATO reports that 230,700 cars powered at least in part by batteries were sold, the first time the 200,000 mark was exceeded in a single month. Of total sales of almost 1.3million cars, electric took an 18 per cent share, up 131 per cent on last year.
In welcome news for carmakers serving the European market, the monthly sales figure was down only 4 per cent on July 2019, a strong sign that the torpor induced by the pandemic is ending. The year-to-date figure still is down by 35 per cent, but at least there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Of the electric cars sold, half were hybrids, with demand soaring by 89 per cent year-onyear. Plug-in hybrids accounted for 55,800 units, up a whopping 365 per cent, with high-end cars from Mercedes-Benz and BMW helping to boost volumes.
Fully electric cars showed a jump from 23,400 units in July 2019 to 53,200 last month, thanks to new models; there now are 38 to choose from compared with just 28 a year ago, among them the Peugeot E-208, MINI Electric and Opel eCorsa. Interestingly, Tesla saw a sales decline of 76 per cent, a combination of production problems in California during the pandemic, and a greater choice for buyers.
Elsewhere, it seems the love affair with SUVs and crossovers shows no sign of abating. They posted a record market share of 42 per cent of all new car sales for the month, and the highest volume sales in 12 months. The strength of the segment ties in with the demand for battery power in some form, with 48 per cent of all electric sales accounted for by the SUV bodystyle.
Irish importers and distributors will be hoping that some of the European magic rubs off on the market here, which remains sluggish.