With the sales figures for new cars in Europe corresponding to the month of July revealed (the market fell 3.1% in the first six months of the year), it was possible to verify that sales of new electric cars reached for the first time a 2% share when we consider the period of one year (from August 2018 to July 2019).
A share of 2% is still considered a niche, but it reflects a rapid upward trajectory, which is due, according to Matthias Schmidt, an analyst of German origin, essentially to three factors.
The first has to do with the fiscal regime in the Netherlands, which started to tax electric cars above 50,000 euros, a measure that was readily taken advantage of by companies.
Every 50th new car sold in W-Europe, now BEV full electric
Milestone moment: Western Europe's 12-month rolling total of pure electric car registrations now account for 2% of the total new car registrations in the region according to a new report. https://t.co/JFN7dH0y0W pic.twitter.com/nlwVUam9x1
— Matthias Schmidt (@auto_schmidt) August 12, 2019
The result was a sudden increase in the sale of new electric cars, with models like Tesla's Model S and Model X benefiting, but the Jaguar I-Pace was the “star” of this measure, having managed to be even the model. best seller in the Netherlands in December 2018.
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The second and third factors are also related, as both refer to the arrival of new models that have boosted the sale of electric cars.
In the first case, it has to do with the phenomenon Tesla Model 3, which arrived in Europe at the beginning of this year, but already leads sales in electric cars, with 37 200 units sold in the first six months of the year.
In the second case, it is Hyundai/Kia that stand out, with the arrival of models such as Kauai Electric and e-Niro.
Jaguar I-Pace
2020 promises to be much better
If 2019 promises to be a year of records for the sale of new electric cars in Europe, 2020 should surpass all expectations, considering the “heavyweights” already announced.
The Volkswagen group alone — including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, SEAT, Porsche — expects to sell 300,000 new electric cars in 2020. At the next Frankfurt Motor Show we will see the final production version of the ID.3 which is expected to represent a significant part of this volume, and at the other end, the Taycan.
The PSA group will also have a say, with a trio of new models: Peugeot e-208, Opel Corsa-e and DS 3 Crossback E-Tense will also be available. And don't forget Honda's proposals, with the simply called “e”, and also the already announced Fiat 500 electric, scheduled for presentation at the Geneva Motor Show.
This push, not only in new electric models, but also in new plug-in hybrid cars, is the necessary path for manufacturers to follow in order to meet the CO2 emission reduction levels imposed by the European Union for 2021 — 95 g /km of average for a manufacturer's range.
Source: Matthias Schmidt, Automotive Analyst.