Investing.com -- Europe's new car sales witnessed a decline in November, with a particular slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales, as per industry data released on Thursday.
The downturn comes after a slight growth in October and is attributed to significant drops in France and Italy, and a standstill in Germany.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association ( ACEA (BIT:ACE)) reported that the sluggishness in EV sales was somewhat balanced by an increase in hybrid-electric car registrations. These registrations surpassed petrol for the third month in a row.
European car manufacturers are grappling with low demand, elevated production costs, and the transition to EVs. They are also facing stiff competition from China.
In November, new vehicle registrations in the European Union, Britain, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) saw a 2% decrease year-on-year, totaling 1.06 million.
Brand-wise, Volkswagen (ETR:VOWG_p) experienced a 2.8% increase in registrations in the EU, Britain, and EFTA, and Renault (EPA:RENA) saw a 9.2% rise. However, Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) experienced a 10.8% drop.
Sales of fully electric cars (BEVs) fell by 9.5% in November in the EU, with France and Germany experiencing significant declines. On the other hand, hybrid car (HEV) sales rose by 18.5%, marking growth for the third consecutive month.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SAIC Motor, which were subject to new EU tariffs on Chinese-made cars from November, saw their sales in the bloc decrease by 40.9% and 7.8%, respectively.
In November, electrified vehicles, including BEVs, HEVs, or plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), accounted for 55.8% of passenger car registrations in the bloc, a rise from 51.8% in the previous year.
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