For the first time, it is an electric vehicle that tops sales in September in Europe: the Tesla Model 3.
September was a difficult month for the European auto industry, as new car registrations fell 25% to just 964,800 units.
A European market impacted by the shortage …
Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, comments: “Dealers continue to face problems with the availability of new cars due to the shortage of chips. As a result, unwilling to wait more than a year for a new car, many consumers have turned to the market. used cars. “
Since the start of the year, the 26 European markets have continued to post a marked improvement compared to 2020, but the gap has narrowed. At the end of the first half of the year, total registrations were 27% higher than in the first half of 2020. The results up to September show that this gap has narrowed to only 7%.
Mr. Munoz continues: “This year, the industry has responded well to the pandemic, but now faces new supply chain challenges. The growing popularity of electric vehicles is encouraging, but sales are not yet strong enough to compensate. the sharp declines observed in other segments. “
The Tesla Model 3 emerges in the lead …
As a result of the boom in electric vehicles, the Tesla Model 3 topped the ranking of European models in September, with 24,600 units sold, representing a market share of 2.6%. This is the first time that an electric vehicle has led the market and the first time that a vehicle manufactured outside of Europe has taken the top spot.
The strong performance of the Model 3 can be explained in part by Tesla’s intense sales campaign at the end of the quarter. September has historically been a strong month for the American automaker’s registration results in Europe, averaging 68% of its third quarter deliveries since 2018. Last month, registrations represented 74% of the third quarter’s volume. trimester. Since entering the European market, the Model Y has also performed well, securing second place in the BEV (battery electric cars) ranking.
Thanks to the success of these two models, Tesla leads the BEV market with a 24% share, ahead of the Volkswagen group with 22%, Stellantis with 13% and Hyundai-Kia with almost 11%. Tesla has also registered more new cars than established brands like Fiat, Nissan or Seat.
SUVs, close to 50% market share
Last month, 46.5% of passenger cars registered in Europe were SUVs, the highest monthly market share ever achieved by this segment. Despite the current crisis among OEMs, these vehicles continue to gain ground thanks to the arrival of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, such as Tesla’s Model Y: “If the trend continues, roads in Europe may soon resemble those in the United States, where more than half of new cars sold are SUVs.”
PHEV : Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
BEV: battery electric vehicles
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