hybrid sales equaled diesel in Europe


Paris (awp/afp) – As many new hybrid cars as diesel cars were sold in Europe during 2021, for the first time, while 100% electric cars continued their breakthrough in a less impressive way than in 2020, the manufacturers announced on Wednesday.

Over the whole of 2021, sales of non-rechargeable hybrids (diesel or gasoline) continued to grow (+60.5% over one year) with 1.9 million cars sold, or 19.6% of market share, on a par with simple diesel, notes the Association of European Manufacturers (ACEA) in a press release.

The latter, affected by the dieselgate scandal and heavy penalties, saw its sales collapse by a third over the year (-31.5%) across the continent, and even by half in the last quarter.

Sales of plug-in hybrids, these vehicles equipped with a combustion engine and a small electric motor, also increased by 70.7%, with 867,092 vehicles sold and 8.9% market share.

Sales of electric vehicles, for their part, continued to grow by 63.1% in the European Union, with 878,432 vehicles sold and 9.1% market share (compared to 1.9% in 2019, and 5, 4% in 2020), propelled by public aid for purchases and the increasingly wide electricity offer from manufacturers.

While the European Commission aims to ban sales of combustion engine cars by 2035, France and Germany, the two main markets, have continued to electrify, while Sweden, Ireland or Italy saw their electric sales double in one year.

Close to the EU, the United Kingdom saw electric sales increase by 76% over one year. In Norway, nineteen of the 20 best-selling new car models in Norway in January were electric, with an unprecedented market share of 83.7%.

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