Chinese brands gain as Europe car sales rise

Highlights

• Electrified vehicles surged 21 per cent in April, driving EU market growth.
• Tesla’s registrations rose 46.5 per cent, but BYD outperformed with 114.5 per cent gain.
• Chinese brands like Chery saw explosive growth, boosting their market share.

Demand for electrified cars kept Europe’s auto market growing in April, offsetting weaker petrol and diesel demand and helping Chinese brands extend their market share, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association showed on Wednesday.

Registrations in the European ‌Union, Britain ⁠and ⁠the European Free Trade Association rose 7 per cent to 1,152,315 vehicles in April, taking the total for January through April 4.8 per cent above a year earlier, according to the data.

Electrified vehicles (battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid models) rose about 21 per cent and made up more than two-thirds of total registrations, while petrol ⁠and diesel ‌cars fell about 15 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.

The figures add to evidence that policy support, subsidies and ⁠higher fuel costs are pushing buyers towards lower-emission vehicles, especially in the region’s biggest markets.

Tesla gains ground, as do Chinese automakers
That shift also continued to reshape competition among carmakers.

Tesla extended its recovery for a third straight month, with April registrations rising 46.5 per cent to 10,654 units after more than a year ‌of declines, but it remained behind China’s BYD, whose registrations jumped 114.5 per cent to 27,008 vehicles.

Chinese carmaker Chery also expanded ⁠rapidly, with registrations up about 322 per cent, while established manufacturers posted mixed results: Volkswagen rose 3.5 per cent, Stellantis 6.7 per cent, Bayerische Motoren Werke 2.4 per cent and Mercedes-Benz 7 per cent, while Renault fell 3.6 per cent.

Italy, France and Germany were among the strongest markets for battery-electric vehicles in the first four months of the year, with registrations up about 73 per cent, 48 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively.