Automotive industry, important changes: how classic cars are compared to electric ones

Sales of electrified cars surpassed diesel models in Europe for the first time last year.

The combined sales of battery-powered electric cars and plug-in hybrid cars rose 66% to 2.26 million in the EU, EFTA and UK markets in 2021, according to ACEA.

Diesel sales fell 33 percent to 2.08 million, while the popularity of the powertrain continued a decline that began after the 2015 Volkswagen scam scandal.

Diesel cars are facing extinction in Europe as cities and governments impose stricter regulations to reduce pollutants in the exhaust pipe, such as NOx.

Gasoline vehicles are still the most popular type of engine, but their lead is declining, with sales down 17% to 4.76 million.

Fully battery-powered all-electric cars have continued to grow in popularity, with sales up 63% to 1.22 million units as traditional carmakers such as Volkswagen dominate Tesla. segment.

Electric cars are the future

Tesla Model 3, the best-selling electric car in Europe in 2021, is battling all-electric models of the competition, such as the Volkswagen ID3 and Renault Zoe.

Rising sales have strengthened Europe’s position as China’s second-largest battery-powered electric car market, according to JATO Dynamics analyst Felipe Munoz.

Germany was the largest market in Europe for sales of all-electric cars, followed by the United Kingdom.

“In the last 10 years, pure electric cars have grown faster than any other segment, including SUVs that set a new record last year,” Munoz said in a statement.

Two years ago, Tesla had a 31% share of the battery-powered electric vehicle market, largely due to the Model 3. In 2021, Tesla was the most popular all-electric brand, but its market share fell to 13.9. %, according to JATO data.

While Tesla was the best-selling brand of electric vehicles, Volkswagen Group sold most all-electric cars by group, according to JATO.

One in four battery-powered electric vehicles belonged to one of the six brands of the VW Group, with the VW Group being more than 10 points ahead of its nearest rival, Stellantis, which had a market share of 14.5%, followed by Tesla by 13.9%.