The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) revealed Thursday that passenger car sales dropped by 5.2% in March as automakers, including Volkswagen AG and Stellantis NV, struggled with lower demand, especially for electric vehicles.
There were substantial declines in France (-32.1%), Spain (-38%) and Italy (-27.6%), while Germany experienced only a slight reduction of 0.5%. Diesel car sales amounted to 128,227 units, with a market share of 12.4%, down from last year (14.4%).
In the first quarter, registrations increased by 4.4% year-on-year, driven by strong performances in Italy and France, which grew by 5.7%. In terms of market composition, while the market share of battery electric vehicles declined from 13.9% to 13%, that of hybrid electric vehicles grew to 29% of the market, up from 24.4% previously.
