hybrids are approaching gasoline cars and the demand for electric cars decreases

The energy transition is not just purely electric, with hybrids taking on a prominent role. In February of this year, in fact, they reduced their gap with gasoline-powered cars, while demand for electric cars stabilized, losing strength.

Recently, Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Bentley, said that plug-in hybrids are a “credible transition technology that effectively reduces CO2 emissions and begins the journey towards electrification for people who cannot afford [um elétrico] or who cannot live with the standard of use that these imply”.

In fact, the latest data from the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) shows a growth in hybrids to the point where they are approaching gasoline-powered cars. This increase was driven by very solid gains in France, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Hybrids have more and more fans

According to the European Association of Car Manufacturers, sales of hybrids increased by 24.4% in February, approaching sales of gasoline cars. In turn, sales of electric vehicles have stabilized.

The same report for the European Union (EU) indicates that the monthly growth of hybrids was largely supported by considerable gains in four of the main markets: France (+41.5%), Spain (+26.5%) , Germany (+16.4%) and Italy (+16.1%).

Altogether, these represented more than 70% of total hybrid sales (255,511 units). These numbers increase the market share of hybrids to 28.9%, behind gasoline vehicles (35.5%, with 313,681 units sold in February).

Gasoline-powered cars, in turn, registered an annual increase of 6.1%, particularly in Italy (+33.4%), remaining the most popular choice among Europeans, despite the slight drop compared to last year ( -1.4%). In turn, diesel cars recorded a drop from 5.1% to 12.9% (with 113,891 units).

In the case of plug-in hybrids, growth was also notable: 11.6% to 64,351 units, representing 7.3% of sales in the EU. These models also benefited from success in markets such as Germany (+22.3%), Belgium (+21.8%) and France (+11.8%).

Electric vehicle sales increased by just 9% in February 2024, to 106,187, maintaining its market share at 12%. Despite growth in Belgium (+66.9%), France (+31.8%), and the Netherlands (+20.9%), trams fell by 15.4% in Germany.

Overall, the EU recorded 883,608 car sales in February, bringing the number of registrations so far this year to 1.7 million.