The German automotive market represents, on a European scale, the largest market. However, last year, electric car sales literally collapsed across the Rhine, with a drop of 27.4% compared to 2023. Thus, the industrial players in the European automotive market, already in crisis, could face even more difficulties in the coming months.
The official figures published by the KBA (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), the German federal automotive department, are alarming. Since the sudden end, in late December 2023, of the subsidies granted to potential buyers of electric cars, the sales figures have started to decline in Germany. Once again, it is important to be aware of the size of the German automotive market. According to the latest data published by the ACEA, 469,565 electric cars were registered across the Rhine between January and November 2023. During the same 11-month period, 260,864 electric cars were registered in France. For the entire year of 2024, the KBA indicates that 381,000 BEV (Battery Electric Vehicles) were sold. Another important point to consider is that, over the previous five years, BEV sales have always increased in Germany.
Recently, we recall that the Volkswagen Group has officially implemented a social plan. 35,000 jobs will be cut in Germany by 2030, by Volkswagen, through early retirements, without direct layoffs.
In response to this situation, Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor currently campaigning in the framework of early parliamentary elections, has floated the idea of a European premium to help purchase electric cars.
Finally, in a few days, the ACEA will publish detailed sales figures, by type of energy, by car manufacturer, by country, of electric car sales in Europe for the year 2024. The car manufacturers should also put pressure on Brussels, with a review clause to be studied in 2026, concerning the ban on sales of new thermal and hybrid cars effective from January 1, 2035, in ten years…
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Photos: LesVoitures.com / The Cars News
