Reuters: LONDON — In October, sales of new cars in the European Union rose 14.6%. This was due in part to a big increase in sales of fully electric cars. In the EU, hybrid electric vehicles made up nearly three out of ten vehicles sold.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Tuesday that sales of fully electric cars rose 36.3% from the same time last year and sales of full hybrid cars rose nearly 39%. This was the 15th month in a row that sales increased in the EU.
A group called ACEA said that 14.2% of sales in October were fully electric cars. This was more than diesel cars for the third time.
Diesel models made up more than half of all cars sold in the EU in 2015, but in October, they only made up 12% of sales.
Fully electric car sales went up 53.1% in the ten months ending in October.
The ACEA said that between January and October 2023, over 47% of all new passenger cars registered in the EU were electric. This was up from 42% during the same time last year. Electrified vehicles included fully electric types, plug-in hybrids, and full hybrids.
Some automakers, analysts, and dealers are scared that EV sales are about to stop growing quickly after years of strong growth. This is because people are waiting for cheaper models to come out on the market.
Volkswagen, which makes more cars than any other company in Europe, saw sales rise by 9.9% in October. Sales also rose at Stellantis (STLAM.MI) and Renault (RENA.PA), with 11.3% and 24.3% increases, respectively.