According to Reuters, on September 12, market research firm Rho Motion said that in August this year, despite a sharp decline in European electric vehicle sales, but driven by China’s record sales of electric vehicles, global sales of electric vehicles (including pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids) still rose 20% year-on-year to 1.47 million units.
Regionally, Rho Motion’s data shows that EV sales in China jumped 42% to a record of more than 1 million units in August this year, while EV sales in the U.S. and Canada also edged up 8% year-on-year to 160,000 units. However, electric vehicle sales in Europe fell 33 percent to their lowest monthly level since January 2023, the company said.
Rho Motion said cumulative European EV sales fell 4% year-on-year this year through August, with German EV sales plummeting 23% year-on-year following government subsidy cuts, dragging down overall European EV sales. Under pressure on sales, the German government agreed on Sept. 4 to give companies tax breaks of up to 40 percent on EV sales.
Charles Lester, data manager at Rho Motion, said a surge in electric car sales in China in August was helped by the fact that drivers in the country are given more subsidies if they replace their environmentally polluting cars. He added: “Seasonal car sales conditions in China are also strong towards the end of the year.”
Charles Lester told Reuters that Rho Motion expects China, the world’s largest market for electric vehicles, to see EV sales rise by a third this year from last year to 10.5 million units, while Europe’s EV sales this year will be essentially unchanged from last year’s 3.1 million units.
But demand for EVs, which has surged in recent years, has cooled in recent months as consumers wait for more affordable electric models or opt for hybrid alternatives, and several automakers have scaled back electrification plans as a result.