It was an exceptionally great month of April for Volkswagen and electric vehicle sales as two of its models grabbed the first two places on the podium. The ID.4 generated 7,335 units, according to JATO Dynamics, with the zero-emissions SUV followed by the ID.3 hatchback with 5,735 cars sold in the same interval. In third place came the Renault Zoe with 4,015 examples delivered to customers.
JATO Dynamics points out the ID.4 is the very first SUV to top the EV sales chart in Europe, which has been previously dominated by hatchbacks. With VW finally offering a zero-emissions product in the increasingly popular sports utility vehicle segment, it’s no wonder the ID.4 is the new sales leader. Corroborated with ID.3 deliveries, VW grabbed a whopping 34 percent of all EV sales on the Old Continent in April.
Sales of electric vehicles are on a rise, fueled by the introduction of new models such as the Peugeot e-208, which took fourth place last month in 3,533 units. It was followed closely by the Hyundai Kona Electric with 3,383 sales and the new Fiat 500 with 3,240 vehicles. The top 10 was completed by the Kia Niro (3,150), VW e-up! (2,925), Smart EQ ForTwo (2,610), and the Nissan Leaf (2,394).
Automotive News Europe is quoting JATO senior analyst Felipe Munoz saying the addition of electric SUVs will further boost demand for EVs, especially since more affordable models are being introduced. He goes on to say traditional vehicles equipped with combustion engines will continue to lose their appeal, a trend that will be accelerated by higher taxes on gasoline and diesel powertrains.
Munoz estimates sales of plug-in hybrids and EVs could represent a quarter of all car sales in Europe by the end of 2021. That said, ICE-powered cars are still very much important for automakers as sales of gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles fund the major investments being made to develop new electric cars.
Source: Automotive News Europe
