Tesla tops 2023 new vehicles sales in Europe as EV sales surge

New car sales in Europe rebounded by 13.9% in 2023 as electric vehicles (EV) overtook diesel for the first time, an industry group said on Thursday.

Electric overtakes diesel

Sales of new electric cars shot up by 37% year-on-year and accounted for 14.6% of overall sales, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said.

Tesla saw sales of its electric cars nearly double in the region last year to 279 000, with its Model Y SUV taking the crown of the top-selling vehicle in Europe.

The figures marked a stark turnabout from 2022, when new vehicle registrations dropped to their lowest levels since 1993 as component shortages hindered automakers.

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In particular, sales in France, Italy and Spain posted double-digit increases, compared with 2022. Sales were still far below pre-pandemic levels, however.

Automakers face a 2035 deadline set by the European Union to phase out sales of new combustion engine vehicles. Sales of hybrid cars also soared last year, up by nearly 30%.

However, plug-in hybrids saw a sales decline for the first time, dropping seven percent, after many governments phased out state incentives.

Petrol cars remained a large part of the new vehicle market, at 35.3% of Europe-wide sales last year, representing 3.7-million cars.

Volkswagen top-selling brand

Volkswagen remained in pole position among car manufacturers, with the group selling 2.8-million new cars in 2023, up by 18% on the previous year.

French auto maker Renault saw sales growth of 16.9% through the year due to growth in its three core brands, Renault, Dacia and Alpine. The latter also led the sales growth with 22%, Dacia with 14.7% and Renault with 9.4%.

No chance of a South African future

Despite its success with the Model Y, the marque, headed by South Africa-born Elon Musk, is unlikely to make landfall anytime soon despite it known that at least two versions of the bigger Model X are present at the behest of renewable energies firm, Rubicon.

Additionally, while both the Model Y and comparative Model 3 sedan are sold with right-hand-drive, the Model X and Model S both ceased availability last year due to the reported difficulties that comes with moving the steering gear from the left to the right.

Asked about the possibility of Tesla coming to South Africa, Musk, whose also owns social media site X, previously known as twitter, wrote in 2019, “would love to, but import duties are extremely high, even for electric vehicles”.

Additional reporting by Charl Bosch

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