ELECTRIC SALES BUCK COVID TREND
AFTER decades of being a contributor to air pollution levels, the motor industry in Europe has cleaned up its act, with the continent’s car markets now only 6.5g/km above their combined carbon emission target, with one car maker, Volvo, already achieving this.
According to data collected and updated monthly by market analyst JATO Dynamics for 21 countries in Europe, average CO2 emissions totalled 102.2 grams per kilometre (g/km), albeit calculated under the outgoing NEDC assessment system.
Despite a 29% overall sales drop in Europe in 2020 because of the pandemic, registrations of electric cars rose by 67% in the year to the end of September at the expense of petrol and diesel models. Indeed, for the first time, sales of cars with some form of electric assistance outstripped diesel, which a short five years ago accounted for 50% of the total market. Governments plan to phase out internal combustion engines over the next ten to 20 years, but diesel in passenger cars is dying out all on its own.
Geely Group, which owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, now is outperforming Toyota, which traditionally led by brand in the reduced CO2 race thanks to its impressive line-up of hybrids that started with the Prius 23 years ago, and now sees hybrid models in all segments. Geely’s CO2 target for 2020 was an average of 110.3g/km, but by August 31, its average was 103.1 g/km. Electrified vehicles, including the likes of plug-in hybrid versions of its acclaimed XC40 and XC60, accounted for almost half of its registrations in August, and 38% year to date.
BMW is next in line to meet the target with an average of 103.5g/ km in August, only 0.54g/km above their target of 102.9g/km.
Toyota is stalling slightly because it still has no fully electric car on the market, though the new Lexus UX 300e battery electric vehicle (BEV) will finally hit the market this year.
While hybrids accounted for 65% of Toyota Group volume in August, they made up only 13% for Hyundai – but that company’s zero-emissions electric Kona and Ioniq accounted for 8% of sales, helping keep the Korean giant’s average down.