BYD outsells Tesla in EU for second month, Stellantis returns to sales growth

CHINESE EV maker BYD sold three times as many new cars in the European Union last month than in August 2024, surpassing US competitor Tesla for the second consecutive month, data from the European auto lobby ACEA showed on Thursday.

Stellantis returned to sales growth in Europe for the first time in over a year, as the overall market expanded with a boost from plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery-electric (BEV) sales.

Europe’s battered car industry faces challenges including US import tariffs, competition from China and difficulties in profitably meeting domestic regulations for EV adoption.

Carmakers have ramped up PHEV sales to comply with emission standards with more affordable and more profitable cars than pure EVs.

Chinese brands have also used the technology to minimise the impact of the European Union’s tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, and to win over China-skeptic European drivers.

By the numbers

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Sales in the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association rose 4.7 per cent to 0.8 million cars in August, ACEA data showed.

Registrations at Volkswagen and Renault rose 4.8 per cent and 7.8 per cent year-on-year, respectively, and were up 2.2 per cent at Stellantis, growing for the first time since February 2024.

Tesla’s EU sales dropped 36.6 per cent, squeezing its market share to 1.2 per cent from 2 per cent a year ago. BYD’s sales were up 201.3 per cent to give it 1.3 per cent of the market.

Sales of MG-owner SAIC Motor, also from China, jumped 59.4 per cent in August, taking its year-to-date market share to 1.9 per cent and making it the tenth best seller in the bloc so far this year.

Total EU car sales rose 5.3 per cent. Registrations of battery electric, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid cars were up 30.2 per cent, 54.5 per cent and 14.1 per cent, respectively, to account collectively for 62.2 per cent of the bloc’s registrations, up from 52.8 per cent in August 2024. REUTERS