Combustion engine continues to be a box office hit
Germany can double electric car exports
October 13, 2023, 12:45 p.m
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In the first eight months of this year, the number of electric cars sold experienced a major boost: it doubled compared to the same period last year. This means that almost a quarter of all cars that Germany has exported so far this year are purely electric vehicles.
Exports of German electric cars have increased noticeably since the beginning of the year. In the first eight months, 520,000 electric vehicles worth 23.9 billion euros were delivered abroad, as the Federal Statistical Office announced. This means that exports increased in volume by more than double the same period last year (255,000 units worth 12 billion euros).
The most important buyer for electric cars was Belgium (73,000 units), followed by the Netherlands (72,000) and the United Kingdom (71,000). 51,000 electric cars were exported to the USA.
Under increasing pressure from competition from China, car companies in Europe are working on cheaper models for the broad masses of buyers. The switch to electric vehicles in Germany has recently slowed down because there are hardly any battery-electric cars that broad groups of buyers can afford.
Even though the share of electric cars in total car exports is increasing, vehicles with classic combustion engines continued to make up the majority from January to August. 1.1 million of these cars were exported with a value of 42.0 billion euros, 9.7 percent more in volume than in the same period last year.
Electric car imports increase by two thirds
The most important purchasing countries here were the USA (142,000 units), followed by the United Kingdom (118,000 units) and China (116,000 units). In contrast, exports of hybrid vehicles fell by 15.5 percent in the first eight months of the year, to 487,000 vehicles worth 20.7 billion euros.
There was also an increase in imports: with 308,000 electric cars imported for 9.8 billion euros, the volume was two thirds more than in the same period last year. The most important supplier countries were China, followed by South Korea and France.
Imports of combustion engines rose less sharply. In the three most important displacement classes for cars with exclusively combustion engines, a total of 768,000 cars worth 18.6 billion euros were imported – 11.4 percent more in volume than in the first eight months of 2022. The most important supplier countries here were Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia .