EU car sales show an increase
After falling back to 1993 levels in 2022, EU car sales started to improve in the second quarter of 2023. In April, the figure rose by 17.2% compared to the same month of the previous period. According to ACEA, Europeans acquired a total of 803.2 thousand cars.
The increase in car demand was observed almost everywhere in the European Union. The highest number of cars was sold in Italy, where the indicator rose by more than 29%. In France the increase was almost 22% and in Germany more than 12%.
Looking at the situation in the car market in Europe as a whole, including the EU, the UK and the Scandinavian countries, the number of new cars purchased increased by around 16% to almost 965,000 units. Volkswagen sold 220.5 thousand of its vehicles in the European Union, an increase of 31.2 % over the previous year. During this period, the manufacturer increased its market share in the EU from 24% to 27%.
The most popular cars in the EU
Sales by the Stellantis group, representing the Fiat and PSA brands, rose by around 9% to 150,000 vehicles. However, the company could not maintain its position in the local market, and its share fell from 20% to almost 19%.
Renault sold around 91.4 thousand vehicles, an increase of 41%. Hyundai and Kia together sold 73.3 thousand units, an increase of 2% over the previous year. Demand for BMW cars rose by 9% and for Mercedes cars by 6%. Japanese manufacturer Toyota was less fortunate, with sales falling by 1.4%.
In April, electric cars made by the US company Tesla were popular among EU citizens. The volume of their sales increased almost nine times and reached 10.7 thousand cars. It should be noted that the demand for electric vehicles in the EU is growing. During the year, their sales increased by 52% and reached 94.6 thousand units.
Sales growth by country
From January to April this year, the volume of car sales in the EU increased by 18% and reached 3.5 million cars. The strongest vehicle demand was observed in Spain, where growth dynamics amounted to about 34%. Sales rose by 27% in Italy and by 17% in France. In Germany, car sales increased by 8%.
Overall, the experts note an excellent development in the European automotive market compared to the autumn of 2012. Volkswagen remains the leading manufacturer.
