Despite the all-encompassing lockdown that took hold in Q1 and the negative economic indicators, electrified vehicles continued to gain traction in Europe, says Jato Dynamics – a multi-national company that provides data for analysis of market trends, vehicle specifications, car pricing & more. Although volume fell from 1.34 million units in April 2019 to 292,600 vehicles in April 2020, 17% of new passenger car registrations in Europe were electrified in April.

As expected, new car registrations in Europe faced a steady decline in April. Volume fell from 1.34 million units in April 2019 to 292,600 vehicles in April 2020. This represents the lowest monthly level since the 1970s, and the worst result among the big three markets – China, USA-Canada, and Europe. Europe’s sharp decrease was only outperformed by India (-100%).

Registrations of Volkswagen’s, Volvo’s, Audi’s and Ford’s EVs posted double-digit growth. They were able to gain traction arising from the Volkswagen Passat PHEV (981 units), Up BEV (678 units), Volvo V60 PHEV (897), XC40 PHEV (339 units); Audi E-Tron (1,289 units), A3 PHEV (465); and Ford Puma HEV (1,170 units), Kuga PHEV (753). Other key models such as the Tesla Model 3, Renault Zoe and Nissan Lead registered declines of 37%, 47% and 56% respectively.

The global pandemic impacted the sales performance of 419 (out of 433) models that were available in both April 2019 and April 2020. Only 13 models saw an increase in registrations, among which were the Mercedes EQC (42 units to 409), Porsche Cayenne Coupe (68 to 210), Skoda Scala (713 to 1,673), BMW X7 (202 to 341), Audi E-Tron (963 to 1,307), Mercedes GLE (1,047 to 1,272), BMW X6 (405 to 471), and Mercedes GLS (174 to 195).

Registrations of SUV in April totalled 109,500 units, 78% less than April 2019. Their market share remained stable at approximately 37%. Volume fell mostly due to the B-SUV and C-SUV subsegments – as they are very popular in France, Italy, and Spain, the models were badly hit given these were three of the most affected markets. In contrast, the bigger and more expensive SUVs posted more moderate declines.

Among the top-selling models, were the Volkswagen Passat, BMW X3 (the top-selling premium car), and Volvo S60/V60 in 24th position. Top market share was awarded to the Skoda Kamiq, BMW X3, Skoda Octavia, Ford Puma and Mercedes GLC. In contrast, the Fiat Panda, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Polo, Opel Mokka and Peugeot 3008 recorded the largest declines in market share.

Jato Dynamics