EU car sales reach 5.5M in H1 with Volkswagen in lead

By Emirhan Yilmaz and Emir Yildirim

ISTANBUL (AA) — The number of total cars sold in the EU reached 5.5 million in the first half of the year, while Volkswagen led in sales with 630,868 units, accounting for 11.3% of the market, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) released Wednesday.

The EU’s new car sales declined 1.9% year-on-year in January-June to 5.5 million. The figure fell 7.3% on an annual basis to a little over 1 million units in June.

Volkswagen was the best-selling car manufacturer in the first six months of the year, followed by Toyota with 427,500 units sold and a 7.7% market share, and Renault with 355,650 and a 6.4% share.

Sales of Skoda cars reached 354,536, BMW 324,667, Peugeot 311,112, Dacia 288,196, Mercedes-Benz 276,936, Audi 263,459, and Hyundai 210,846 units.

The top 10 brands were followed by Kia with 203,731, Citroen with 179,131, Ford with 162,605, Opel with 156,083, Fiat with 143,309, Cupra with 130,432, Volvo with 126,890, Nissan with 113,133, SAIC Motor with 107,171, and Seat with 99,825 units sold.

Electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla’s shares fell 43.7% in January-June to 70,655 units, while its market share in the EU fell from 2.2% to 1.3%.

Of the total 5.5 million new cars sold, hybrids made up 34.8%, gasoline cars 28.4%, EVs 15.6%, diesel cars 9.4%, plug-in hybrids 8.4%, and other fuel type cars 3.3%, the data showed.

Separately, gasoline car registrations across the EU fell 21.2% year-on-year in January-June.

The largest decline in gasoline car registrations was seen in France, down 33.7%, followed by Germany with 27.8%, Italy with 17.2%, and Spain with 13.4%.

New EV sales in the region soared 22% to 869,271 units at the same time, making up 15.6% of the EU car market.