Sale of petrol-powered cars is falling in Latvia :: Dienas Bizness

The new car market in the Baltic States is gradually recovering in the first months of this year after last year’s crisis. The fastest growing car market has grown in Estonia, where 37.2% more cars have been sold in the first five months of this year than in the same period last year. There has also been an increase in Latvia (+ 17.3%) and Lithuania (+ 7.2%), according to information compiled by the Estonian company RIA.com Marketplaces.

The number of hybrid cars and electric cars sold in the Baltics is growing particularly fast: in the first quarter of this year, the number of hybrid cars sold in Latvia increased by 213.1%, the number of electric cars by 47.7%, while cars running on traditional petrol and diesel engines volumes have fallen sharply.

In 2020, compared to 2019, new car sales in Europe decreased by a total of 23.7%. The largest decrease was registered in Cyprus – 42.8%, the smallest in Denmark – 12.5%. Estonia closed 2020 with a 29.3% drop in sales, Latvia with 25.8% and Lithuania with 12.9%. However, in the first five months of this year, the situation has stabilized: the number of new cars sold in the European Union increased by an average of 29.5% between January and May (data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA)). In the first five months of this year, a total of 10,329 new cars were sold in Estonia (an increase of 37.2%), in Latvia – 6,215 cars (+ 17.3%) and in Lithuania 15,160 cars (+ 7.2%).

According to ACEA, sales of electric vehicles in Europe in the first quarter of 2021 accounted for 5.7% of total car sales, hybrids for 18.4%, petrol for 42.2% and diesel for 23.2%. In Europe, as sales of electric vehicles increase, so does the market share of cars equipped with conventional petrol and diesel engines. For example, between January and March 2021, sales of conventional diesel vehicles decreased by 20.1% year-on-year and petrol vehicles by 16.9%. Demand for natural gas vehicles in the European Union decreased by 10.1%, while sales of cars with alternative engines increased by a total of 59.1%.

The number of traditional petrol cars sold in Latvia has decreased by 16.5% this year, while the number of hybrid cars sold has increased by 213%, which is a record high among the Baltic States. Distribution of cars sold in Latvia in the first quarter:

1. Electric vehicles – 65 cars (increase by 47.7%)

2. Hybrids – 777 cars (increase by 213.1%)

3. Petrol-powered cars – 1526 cars (sales decreased by 16.5%)

4. Diesel cars – 1103 cars (a decrease of 31.2%).

In Estonia, the largest percentage increase in car sales in the first quarter was observed in the electric car sector:

1. Electric vehicles – 95 cars (111% more)

2. Hybrids – 1452 cars (increase by 96.7%)

3. Petrol-powered cars – 2541 units (sales decrease by 22.3%)

4. Diesel cars – 1420 units (increase by 11%).

In Lithuania, meanwhile, the first quarter of this year saw the sharpest decline in sales of cars running on traditional petrol and diesel engines in the Baltics:

1. Electric cars – 65 cars (sales decrease by 25.3%)

2. Hybrids – 3391 cars (increase by 96.7%)

3. Petrol engines – 3194 cars (sales decrease by 60.4%)

4. Diesel engines – 950 cars (sales have decreased by 36.1%).

“The growth of sales of electric vehicles and hybrids across Europe is a trend that will continue in the coming years. Estonia is a leader among the Baltic States in this respect, followed by Latvia and Lithuania respectively. The Baltic States stand out among other European countries with green thinking and concern for the environment. This, along with encouraging changes in laws and taxes, is a factor contributing to the car’s popularity. At the same time, one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the Baltics is the incomplete infrastructure of electric car charging points. And there is already a lack of electric car charging points in Estonia, Artyom Umanets.

The market share of alternative-powered cars is also growing in Ukraine, which is close to the Baltic States, where, according to Ukravtoprom, a total of 21 thousand new cars were sold in the first quarter of 2021, of which two thousand were hybrid cars. This is an increase of 460% compared to the first quarter of 2020. The number of electric cars sold in Ukraine also increased by 27.7% in the first quarter of this year.

–