Germany Records A Decrease In EV Sales In The First Quarter Of 2024

According to the German Federal Motor Traffic Authority (KBA), the number of new car registrations in July 2024 was 238,263 units, a decrease of 2.1 percent compared to the same month last year. For the first seven months, a growth of 4.3 percent was recorded.

The biggest news is electric cars, i.e. their big drop in sales of 36.8 percent compared to the same month last year. As reported by Jutarnji.hr, in the first seven months, the decline in sales of electric cars is now 20.1 percent compared to the same period last year. A slight growth of 3.2% was recorded for plug-in hybrids in July, and there was also a slight increase for diesel vehicles (plus 1.4 percent) and for gasoline vehicles (plus 0.1 percent).

In light of the continued sharp decline in sales of battery electric vehicles, the president of the German Association of International Automobile Manufacturers VDIK Michael Lohscheller warns of the creation of new trade barriers: “If battery electric cars become significantly more expensive in the future due to the introduction of additional tariffs, this will mean another step backwards for electromobility. The desire for affordable electromobility in Germany and the federal government’s goal of 15 million electric cars on the road by 2030 will then become unattainable.”

The share of electric cars in total registrations was only 12.9 percent in July 2024, while it was 20 percent in July last year.

“The receipt of orders for electric cars by private buyers is currently extremely weak. That is why we do not see any signs that the situation will change. This is also confirmed by the results of our car trade survey from the beginning of June, in which 91 percent of the surveyed car dealers are in the state of ordering electric cars from private buyers during the year as very bad or bad,” said the vice president of the German Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ZDK) Thomas Peckruhn.

• Also See: Germany Hopes To Avoid Import Duties On Chinese Electric Cars