According to the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers, sales are picking up again. Despite inflation, we exceeded 800,000 registrations last month, an increase of 11% over one year. Note, however, that we are still far from pre-Covid levels.
>> Purchasing power: tips for saving money at the garage
It is an increase, of course, but compared to a month of February 2022 which was a bit special, since at the time, it had been weighed down by shortages of electronic components. Precisely, if the market for new cars is recovering, it is because the production lines are running as before. With the resumption of activity in China, the logistics problems are partly over. Result: in Italy, Spain or even in France, this rebound in registrations is real.
Purchases of electric vehicles are often boosted by State aid, such as bonuses, but they now represent 12% of the European market. Hybrids represent a quarter of new registrations. On the other hand, as one might expect, diesel engines are in sharp decline. Gasoline cars, they continue to dominate the market: it is nearly 40% of sales. A figure finally quite stable over one year.
Volkswagen, the big winner
Among the manufacturers who are benefiting the most from this recovery is, by far, Volkswagen, which alone accounts for a quarter of these sales! All of the group’s brands are finding takers: +19% for Audi, +39% for Porsche… And Volkswagen has every intention of keeping its lead: last week, the German group announced 180 billion euros of investment in the next five years, on the production of electric battery cells.
Note that the other winner is called Renault. The diamond group now represents more than 10% of the European market. It owes much of this success to Dacia. In times of high inflation, its brand of low-cost vehicles is a hit.
The Japanese Toyota is also doing well. On the other hand, Stellantis, however, Europe’s second car manufacturer, may be disappointed: the group is notably weighed down by the poor performance of Citroën.