The car accelerates in March
In Italy in the past month there have been i168,294 vehicles registered, up 40.78% compared to 119,548 registrations in the same month a year ago. There were 490,134 transfers of ownership against 450,846 transfers registered in March 2022, with an increase of 8.71%. The global monthly sales volume, amounting to 658,428, affected for the 25.56% new cars and 74.44% used cars. As regards the first quarter of 2023, registrations were 427,019, an increase of 26.22% compared to the 338,316 units in the first three months of 2022.
One positive though it is not enough to believe that the sales crisis in our country is over. “The positive result in March was predictable, considering last year’s low volumes determined by a series of adverse and concomitant factors but the differential with the pre-pandemic data (minus -20.6% ed) remains important”- he declared in this regard Adolfo De Stefani Cosentino, president of Federauto, the federation of car dealers.
PUnrae is instead more optimistic
“In March the car market seems to be showing a serious attempt to get out of the tunnel. The most 40.8% is a leap expected for yearsattributable to an improvement in the situation of global supply chains, even if compared with a loss of about 30% in March 2022, when registrations, affected by the expectation of incentives, were only 119,548 units – is the comment of the association which represents foreign car manufacturers in Italy”.
“Now that the European Council has approved the measures relating to internal combustion engines from 2035, we hope that the climate of confusion that accompanied the debate on this issue will end – he explains Michele Crisci, president of Unrae. – We think there is a need for clarity and also a need to work in a coordinated way intervening, for example, on taxation for company cars, on reformulation of incentives the purchase of zero or low emission cars, on accelerating the installation of both private and public charging stations”.
In detail petrol cars see the March market increase by 44.3%, with market share at 28.7%While diesels grow by 36.1% compared to the same month of 2022, with a 20% share. In the first three months of 2023, registrations of petrol cars increased by 26.4% and those of diesel cars by 19.8%.
Hybrid and electric cars
Sales of alternative fuel cars also slightly improvedelectric cars have a share of 4.8% in March and 3.8% in the first three months of 2023. Among these, non-rechargeable hybrids increased by 46.5% in the month and reached a share of 34.4%. Registrations of rechargeable cars represent 9.1% of the market for the month.
In the January-March period, they grew by 23.8% and had a share of 8.2%, reduced due to the decline in volumes recorded by electric companies in January 2023. Plug-in hybrids in the quarter and represent 4.3% of registrations in March and 4.4% of the progressive year-to-date. Finally, gas-powered cars represent 7.8% of registrations in March.
The Stellantis group
In March, looking at the cars of the Stellantis group, The hybrid Fiat Panda, Lancia Ypsilon and Fiat 500 occupy, respectively, the first, third and fourth position among the mild/full hybrid cars. Among the Phevs, Jeep Compass is currently the second best-selling model and Jeep Renegade is in fourth place. Alfa Romeo Tonale, which had entered the top 10 plug-ins for the month of February, is in sixth place in March.
Among the electrics, the Fiat 500 was the second best-selling model in the month, while Peugeot 208 occupies the seventh position. Looking at the other cars produced in Italy, the Dr Automobiles market is still growing by double digits in the cumulative (+78.3%). In March 2023 compared to March 2022, on the other hand, the growth is even triple-digit: +128.6%. The Molise-based builder gains about 1 percentage point of market share and rises to 2% in the month, while in the quarter it holds a market share of 1.9% (it was 1.3% in the first quarter of 2022).
Finally, with reference to the market by segment, in the month of March utility and super utility cars represent 30.9% of the market, up by 19.5%. The best-selling model remains the Fiat Panda, followed by the Fiat 500.
The mid-range is growing
Mid-segment cars had a market share of 11.2% in March, with the market growing by 52.4% compared to the third month of 2022. SUVs have a market share of 55.8%, up 53.7%. In detail, small SUVs represent 23.6% of the market for the month (+32.8% compared to March 2022), compact SUVs 24.3% (+80.8%), medium SUVs 6%, 8%, (+72.9%), while sales of large SUVs are 1.1% of the total (-5.8%). THE28.4% of SUVs sold belong to a Stellantis Group brand. People carriers and multi-spacers represent 1.2% of the market in March and recorded a decrease of 27.5% compared to March 2022. Since the beginning of 2023, small cars and super small cars have a share of 32% (+9.6% compared to first quarter of 2022), medium-sized vehicles by 10.6% (+32.9%), SUVs by 55.3% (+37.1%) and minivans and multispace by 1.2% (-6.4% ).
Biofuels
‘The definitive EU stop to the sale of new heat engines powered by fossil fuels starting from 2035 with the derogation from the use of synthetic fuels only, it leaves us doubtful about the exclusion of biofuels which, on the contrary, in a circular economy context can contribute to the decarbonisation of transport – finally underlines the president of the Concessionaires, De Stefani – To enhance the long-term resources already allocated last year with the automotive fund, the opportunity to review the functioning of the current incentives which must be accompanied by timely development e development of an accessible charging network, functional and efficient for the purposes of businesses and citizens”.