Battery-powered cars accounted for 12.1% of new car sales over the year, down from 9.1% in 2021, or 1.9% in 2019, according to figures released Wednesday by the European Manufacturers Association (ACEA). ).

In an automobile market hampered since the pandemic by logistical problems, collapsed to the same level as in 1993, sales of electric vehicles increased by 28% compared to 2021, with more than 1.1 million vehicles sold.

These sales were notably driven by the German market, where they accelerated at the end of the year, just before a drop in purchase bonuses.

The electric ones were also very successful in Sweden or Belgium.

In Norway, a record four out of five new cars (79%) were electric.

The kingdom, a major oil producer, aims to put an end to thermal engines for new registrations by 2025. That is ten years before the EU.

The Italian market was the only one to put a brake on this engine in 2022 (-26.9%).

Non-rechargeable hybrids (diesel or gasoline) also continue to conquer the market (+8.6%) and now represent 22.6% of sales, with 2,089,653 cars sold.

Sales of plug-in hybrids, these vehicles equipped with a combustion engine and a small rechargeable electric motor on a socket or terminal, marked time for the first time, with 874,182 vehicles sold (+ 1.2%) .

Sales of new cars in the EU © Laurence SAUBADU / AFP

In total, electrified cars (hybrid and 100% electric) have exceeded gasoline car sales since the end of 2021: these represented 36.4% of sales over the year 2022 (-12.8%, with nearly 3.3 million vehicles sold).

still expensive

Diesel, affected by the dieselgate scandal, heavy penalties and an offer that is shrinking in the manufacturers' ranges, continues on its downward slope (-19.7%), with 1.5 million vehicles sold.

The disaffection for diesel was particularly marked in France and Belgium.

Faced with the planned European ban on thermals, most manufacturers have started to beef up their offer of electric and hybrid cars.

The car, the primary means of transport for Europeans, represents just under 15% of CO2 emissions in the EU.

"We are moving fast, unfortunately faster than other sectors. This transition cannot only concern the automotive sector", underlined Tuesday the director general of Renault and new president of ACEA, Luca de Meo, during a meeting on Tuesday. press conference in Brussels.

He highlighted the need for charging stations, whose installations are limited to 2,000 per week in the EU, against the 14,000 necessary according to the industry, and with strong inequalities depending on the country.

European automakers are investing 250 billion euros in their electrification, De Meo pointed out.

With their high prices, electric cars are currently purchased by "wealthy" households, but this should change with the generalization of electric cars, according to the president of ACEA.

If the leader of the electric market, Tesla, sharply lowered its prices at the beginning of 2023, neither Renault nor Volkswagen want to enter a price war in this still juicy sector.

"At the end of the day, everyone is trying to protect their margins. Launching a price war as we launch operations is not the best thing that can happen to the market. We need to invest," De Meo said. .

© 2023 AFP