EU Car Registrations Rose in Feb, With Electric Vehicles Gaining Market Share

By David Sachs

Passenger car registrations in the European Union rose in February on the year, with fully electric vehicles taking a bigger share of the market, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said on Tuesday.

New car registrations, which reflect sales, rose to 802,763, an 11.5% increase over February 2022--a difficult time for the industry due to the semiconductor shortage.

Growth occurred in most EU markets, but Spain led the charge, with a 19% increase in registrations, followed by Italy with a 17% jump, according to the association, known as ACEA.

Battery-electric vehicle registrations topped out at 97,300, making up 12.1% of all February car sales in the EU, up from a share of 9.7% in February of 2022.

Most EU countries pushed that progress with significant increases in BEV registrations, including the three largest markets: Germany, up 15%, France, up 46%, and the Netherlands, which was up 89%. BEV sales in the Czech Republic dropped by 3.2% and Slovakia's BEV registrations fell 28% on year.

Gasoline-fueled car registrations grew 11% and maintain a similar share of the market as a year ago at 37%.

Write to David Sachs at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 21, 2023 03:14 ET (07:14 GMT)

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