In August the car sales in Europe have been given a tremendous crash: have signed their worst record in the last three years with a drop of 18.3% and just over 640,000 cars sold.
All but the hybrids have dropped: both gasoline and diesel as well as plug-ins. But especially pure electric oneswith a huge decline exceeding 40%. Meanwhile, used cars continue to grow, as does their price.
Electric cars have been in free fall for four months
Con 643,637 registered carsAugust has been the worst month since sales began to recover timidly in 2022, According to data from ACEA, the European manufacturers’ associationAugust is not traditionally a good month for car sales, but there have not been such figures since the pandemic.
This has been particularly noticeable in the sharp declines in the most important markets in Europe: Germany (-27.8%), France (-24.3%) and Italy (-13.4%). Spain also recorded red figures, but the fall has been less pronounced: 6.5% fewer new cars have been sold.
Pure electric cars are the ones that have experienced the biggest decline: In August, sales in Europe fell by 43.9%, with 92,627 units sold compared to 165,204 in August last year. They have been declining for four consecutive months and their market share has shrunk by almost a third.
|
difference 23/24 |
short market |
|
|---|---|---|
|
electric cars |
– 43,9 % |
14,4 % |
|
phev cars |
– 22,3% |
7,1 % |
|
hybrid cars |
+ 6,6 % |
31,3 % |
|
gasoline cars |
– 17,1% |
33,1% |
|
diesel cars |
– 26,4 % |
11,2 % |
The collapse has been particularly noticeable in two of the main European electric markets: Germany and France, which recorded falls of 68.8% and 33.1%. In Spain it was almost 18%. Also for electric brands such as Tesla, with a huge drop of 43.2% or those of SAIC, such as MG (-27.5%).
To the plug-in hybrids They have not fared well either: they are the third in the market mix that have fallen the most and have remained at 45,590 units soldBoth PHEVs and electric vehicles are key for brands to comply with emissions limits. That is why the employers’ association has formally requested that Europe postpone the new, more demanding limits, which come into force in 2025.
Also the Gasoline and diesel sales have fallen, especially those of diesel vehicles with a drop of more than 26%, only surpassed by electric vehicles.
Plugless hybrids are the only ones that have grownalthough they have done so timidly: 6.6% with 201,552 registered carsSpecifically, they have increased in markets such as Spain and France and are by far the preferred alternatives for buyers, representing 31.3% of the market. Only gasoline vehicles surpass them in the mix.
For every two second-hand cars, one new car is sold, and they are becoming more and more expensive
In Spain this August has been especially bad, being the worst of the last three years with 52,322 new cars sold. If this 2024 It was expected to exceed the million units soldfrom the sector they are already beginning to reduce expectations and it is expected that we will remain again below that figure as has been happening since 2020. We have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic sales.
The opposite occurs with the second hand carswhich is expected reach 1.9 million used cars sold. Between January and July they have grown by 18% and we are already almost there. 1.2 million transferred.
This trend, which has been going on for several years, is even stronger in other European countries. For example, in Germany, the figure is expected to reach 6.6 million used units, in France 5.6 million and in Italy 5.2 million.
With restrictions coming to cities, buyers are opting for those of second hand minorbetween one and three years: in July, for example, 14,330 transfers were signed, 44.5% more than last year.
This is directly impacting the price: According to data from Ganvamwhich brings together sellers and workshops, the average price of second-hand cars in Spain has increased by 5.5%, reaching almost 20,000 euros. Last year the average price was 18,900 euros.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
