BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The car market in the European Union has started the new year on a weak note. In January, 799,625 new passenger cars were registered, a decrease of 3.9 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (Acea) on Tuesday in Brussels. However, electric cars were in high demand.
Registrations of fully electric cars with battery-only drive systems (BEV - Battery Electric Vehicles) rose by 24.2 percent to 154,230 vehicles. The increase was particularly notable in France, Germany, and Denmark, where more people registered such vehicles. Plug-in hybrids, which combine electric and combustion engines and can be recharged externally, were also in high demand. Registrations of non-rechargeable hybrid cars increased by 6.2 percent to 308,364 vehicles. This category includes not only cars with a fully capable electric motor, but also so-called mild hybrids. These vehicles are equipped with supportive electric motors designed primarily to reduce fuel consumption.
Despite the rise in electric car registrations, US electric car pioneer Tesla failed to gain ground: new registrations fell by 1.6 percent to 7,187 vehicles following recent declines. Volkswagen Group maintained its market leadership in the EU in January, despite a 3.7 percent drop in registrations to 219,708. The decline was particularly steep at VW subsidiary Porsche AG, where registrations fell by 14.6 percent.
Stellantis and Renault followed the Wolfsburg-based group in the rankings. Registrations of BMW Group vehicles were down 3.3 percent in the first month of the year, while rival Mercedes-Benz from Swabia saw a four percent increase./jha/edh/he
