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Brussels – Spain was the country where car sales grew the most in 2024 among the major markets of the European Union, with a year-on-year increase of 7.1%, contrasting with the declines recorded in France (3.2%), Germany (1%), and Italy (0.5%), according to data published today by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
Across the European Union, as ACEA had anticipated last week, sales grew “slightly, increasing by 0.8% to reach approximately 10.6 million units.”
In December 2024, year-on-year registrations of new cars in the entire community market advanced by 5.1, and again, Spain led sales in the last month of the previous year, with a “robust increase” of 28.8%, added the European automobile association in a statement.
Among the four main automotive markets in the EU, it was followed by France, with an increase of 1.5%, while Germany (7.1%) and Italy (4.9%) recorded declines.
Electric Vehicles
Battery electric vehicle sales, the main option for decarbonizing the European vehicle fleet, remained the third most popular option in 2024, with a market share of 13.6% (and 15.9% in December) throughout the year, again surpassing diesel, which fell to 11.8%.
Combustion and petrol engine cars maintained their leadership, with a market share of 33.3%, while hybrid electrics reinforced their second position, reaching a share of 30.9%.
The drop in battery electric car sales in December 2024, down to 10.2%, was mainly due to a “significant decrease in Germany (38.6%) and France (20.7%), leading to a 5.9% reduction in market volume in 2024 compared to 2023, for an overall figure in the year of 13.6%.
Plug-in hybrid car registrations in the EU decreased by 6.8% throughout 2024 compared to 2023, although they advanced by 4.9% in December, driven by sales in France (44.9%) and Germany (6.8%).
For the whole year, they maintained the same market share as in 2023, with 8.3%.
Electric hybrids saw their sales grow by 33.1% in December, with a market share that rose to 33.6%, compared to 26.5% in the same month the previous year, surpassing petrol car registrations for the fourth consecutive month.
The consolidated car sales data in 2024 is known a day after the European Commission announced that next week it will initiate a “strategic dialogue” with the automotive industry to “safeguard the future of a sector vital for European prosperity, while advancing its climate and social objectives.”
The president of the institution, Ursula von der Leyen, will personally lead these exchanges with the industry starting on January 30, supported by the Transport Commissioner, Greek Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas, whom the German has tasked to “develop an action plan for the sector, which will benefit from these discussions.”
The automotive sector, which represents around 7% of the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) and generates 13 million jobs, faces “a period of significant transformation, driven by digitalization, decarbonization, increased competition, and a changing geopolitical landscape,” while the European Union has legally set a ban on the sale of CO2-emitting cars from 2035, recalled the EU executive.
Last week, the head of Mercedes-Benz and new ACEA president, Ola Källenius, invited the EU to undertake a “realistic review” of the electric car market situation because five years ago it was expected to grow by 25% and it has only grown around 13%.
He also requested not to enter a trade war with China over electric vehicles, referring to import duties of up to 35.3% that came into force last October for battery cars imported from the Asian giant. (January 21)