Car sales in the EU continue to rise for 14th month

New car sales in the European Union increased by 9.2 percent in September, driven by rising sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, which accounted for more than half of car sales last month. Thus, car sales in the EU increased for the 14th month. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has announced new car registration data for EU countries for September. New car sales in the EU increased by 9.2 percent in September, driven by rising sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, which accounted for more than half of car sales last month. Thus, the EU recorded sales growth for the 14th consecutive month. Sales of fully electric cars increased by 14.3 percent compared to the previous year, while full hybrid sales increased by more than 30 percent. According to the data, the number of new vehicles registered in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) increased by 11.1 percent to 1.17 million units. Sales of diesel models decreased from 15.9 percent to 12.5 percent compared to the previous year. As recently as 2015, diesel vehicles accounted for more than 50 percent of new car sales in the EU. Meanwhile, ACEA reported that Volkswagen, Europe’s largest car seller, saw its sales rise by 9.6 percent in September. Stellantis and Renault saw their sales rise by 11.3 percent and 5.1 percent respectively.