Brussels, Mar. 25, (dpa/GNA) – Sales of electric cars continue to grow despite an overall decline in new registrations in the European Union, though sales of Tesla vehicles continue to decline.
New registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have increased by over a quarter to 255,489 since the beginning of the year, the European manufacturers’ association Acea said on Tuesday. That gave them a market share of 15.2% at the end of February.
But this did not help US electric car manufacturer Tesla. It sold around 19,000 Model Xs and others in the EU in January and February, some 49% fewer than in the previous year.
Over the past few months, firms have repeatedly and publicly parted company with Teslas in their fleets due to the political activities of company owner Elon Musk.
Tech billionaire Musk has played a key role in dramatic cutbacks to US government agencies to slash spending in the new administration under US President Donald Trump.
But the recent decline in new Tesla registrations may also be linked to a change in production, say market watchers pointing to the Model Y overhaul. Other providers are now also selling cars with similar technical features.
Overall, the number of newly registered cars in the European Union did not recover in February after a weak start to the year. Acea said 853,670 new cars were registered last month, a 3.4% fall compared to a year earlier. That is a 3% drop since the beginning of the year.
While the VW Group, Renault and BMW recorded an increase in demand, new Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis registrations fell.