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VW’s I.D. 3 was the top selling BEV in October |
Electrified vehicles, including pure electrics (BEV), plug- in hybrids (PHEV), pure hybrids (HEV) and mild hybrids, took 26.8% of the European car market, 302,587 units, in October 2020.
For a second consecutive month, EVs outsold diesel cars, which took a 26.3% slice.
Year to date (YTD) registrations fell 27% to 9.7m after an October down 7% to 1,127,624, the same level recorded in October 2018 and reflecting the significant impact caused by the second wave of the pandemic, according to JATO Dynamics.
EV sales grew 153% last month, in part due to mild hybrid cars which have become the preferred vehicle for carmakers and consumers looking for greener cars with a more accessible price tag than offered by pure electrics and hybrids. In October, mild hybrids accounted for nearly a third (32%) of EV registrations with demand soaring by 427%. This impressive growth was aided in part by strong commercial performance from the likes of the Fiat Panda, Ford Puma and Fiat 500.
VW Europe’s top-selling BEV maker
Pure electric cars (BEV) saw a YoY increase of 197% with 71,800 units sold in October. Growth was driven by new launches, including the Volkswagen ID.3, which registered 10,590 units in the Europe-27 markets. Becoming the continent’s top selling electric car and placing 29th in the overall ranking, the ID.3 owes much of its success to businesses and fleets, with more than half of these registrations coming from buyers in these areas.
Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics, said: “Similarly to the demand seen for the Tesla Model 3, the Volkswagen ID.3 is another example of how appetite for competitive and stylish electric cars continues to grow day by day.”
As a result, Volkswagen Group was Europe’s biggest producer of EVs in October, taking 25% of the market registrations and 29% of the BEV segment.
Munoz added: “Volkswagen Group is catching up to its peers at great pace, in part due to its strong presence in northern and central Europe where appetite for EVs continues to grow.”
Fiat Chrysler achieved the largest market share increase year on year for October. The double digit growth posted by the Fiat Panda – which placed in the top five again for the first time since March 2020 – alongside the Jeep Renegade and Compass, helped FCA grow by 5% during the month. Renault-Nissan also increased its market share thanks to the Renault and Dacia brands, where volume increased 2% and 1% respectively. These two were closely followed by Suzuki which increased registrations by 18% and recorded double digit growth across four of its most popular models.
Models
By model rankings, PSA’s Opel/Vauxhall Corsa performed outstandingly well in October, becoming the third best selling car in Europe for October and year to date. Strong growth was also posted by the Renault Clio, Panda, Peugeot 2008, Hyundai Kona, and Volvo XC40. The Ford Puma continued to climb up the rankings, becoming the fifth best-selling SUV with 14,430 units registered in October.
Other successes for the month include the Audi A3 (+50% to 10,821 units), Renault Zoe (+183% to 9,903 units), Kia Niro (+62% to 8,125 units), Mercedes GLA (+56% to 7,981 units), Audi Q5 (+59% to 7,395 units), Skoda Kamiq (+227% to 7,042 units), Suzuki Swift (+42% to 6,065), Nissan Juke (+500% to 5,724), Suzuki Ignis (+66% to 4,756), and Kia Xceed (+61% to 4,560 units).