The month of March recorded on the European market (EU, EFTA and UK) 1.38 million registrations, a result that marks a growth of 62.7% on March 2020, the month of the first lockdown at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic , but which remains more than 20% lower than the volumes of March 2019. This is a figure that reflects an extremely difficult situation on the European market. The restrictions on traffic and the closures of dealerships in many countries and the impact of the pandemic on confidence and purchasing power indicators weigh heavily.
Volumes are falling but the electric is growing
In this context, however, as evidenced by Gian Primo Quagliano, president of the Centro Studi Promotor, the share of registrations of electric and hybrid cars continues to grow, a positive dynamic which, however, fails to compensate for the negative effects of the pandemic. The latest ACEA survey highlights an acceleration in the registrations of electric and hybrid cars, thanks also to the boost of Ecobonus.
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In the last quarter of 2020, 16.5% of new cars registered in Europe were rechargeable, full electric or plug-in hybrid cars, a category that in the whole year reached and exceeded 10%, more than tripling compared to 2019, hybrid instead weighing for almost 12% among registrations. A sudden change in the market that sees Italy, however, behind the main European markets.
Car manufacturers trend
All the manufacturers in March recorded an increase in volumes compared to March 2020, a month characterized by closures and lockdowns in many European countries due to the start of the pandemic alarm. Given that it is slightly corrected if we consider the first quarter of 2021, with Volkswagen losing 3.8% overall while Stellantis, the second group with a market share of 21.7%, grows by 7.4%.
The French of Renault brake in the January-March cumulative of 3% while BMW grows by 4.4%. Volumes for Hyundai were stable while Toyota grew by 5.2% in the period. The Daimler Group marks the pace (-7.3%) despite the exploit of Smart volumes while Ford loses 1.8% of registrations in the quarter.