The European car market regained its breath slightly in October (+0.1%), but we are still far from the pre-crisis period. Electric cars are increasing, Germany and Spain are doing well (better), while Italy and France are doing badly, with Stellantis recording -16.7%.
According to data released by the manufacturers’ association Acea, in October there were 1,041,672 registrations, marking a marginal +0.1% compared to the same month of 2023. Overall, in the first ten months of the year, registrations reached 10,821,299 units, with an annual increase of 0.9%, lower than the +1% recorded in the first nine months of 2024.
At a geographical level, the European Union stands out with an increase of 1.1%, followed by the EFTA area (+2.5%). The United Kingdom, on the other hand, did poorly, falling by 6%. Among the main markets, Germany shows signs of recovery (+6% after three negative months) and Spain records an encouraging +7.2%. On the contrary, France (-11.1%) and Italy (-9.1%) remain in difficulty.
Electric cars confirm growth in October with +6.9% and 169,525 registrations, but on an annual basis volumes are down by 1.7%. Plug-in hybrids, however, continue to lose ground: registrations in the EU fell by 7.2% compared to October 2023, with a market share falling from 8.4% to 7.7%. The annual data are also negative (-7.9%). On the other hand, non-rechargeable hybrids continue to shine: in October they recorded an increase of 17.5%, conquering a market share of 33.3%, overtaking petrol cars for the second consecutive month.
Among manufacturers, Stellantis recorded a sharp decline (-16.7%), with 150,346 registrations and a market share that fell to 14.4%, from 17.4% last year. The decline is generalized among the group’s brands, with particularly negative performances for Fiat (-45.4%), Lancia (-79.3%) and Citroën (-31.3%). Only Peugeot manages to close positively (+11.6%). The Volkswagen group, on the other hand, recorded a jump of 12.6% thanks to the Skoda (+25.5%), Seat (+47.4%) and Volkswagen (+17.4%) brands. The Renault group also remained stable (-0.4%) and Toyota continued its positive run with a +13.7% in October and an annual increase of 12.5%. BMW (+0.8%) and Volvo (+22.5%) also did well, while Ford (-7.9%) and Hyundai (-7.5%) remain in difficulty.
After two negative months, therefore, a positive, but marginal, change and evidence: the transition towards electric mobility is in slight and progressive movement.
