The greater offer by the manufacturers and the public subsidies for the purchase destined for consumers boosted sales, which totaled 878,432 vehicles, with countries such as Sweden, Ireland or Italy doubling the figures.
Meanwhile, rechargeable hybrids, which have a combustion engine and an electric motor, registered an increase of 70.7% in sales to 867,092 vehicles, representing 8.9% of the market.
Finally, non-rechargeable hybrids, which do not require a connection to the grid to supply electricity, advanced 60.5% annually to 1.9 million units sold, comprising 19.6% of the market, compared to 11.9 % of 2020.
Combustion cars, including diesel and gasoline, still represent 59.6% of new patents.
However, during 2021, its sales fell 17.8% annually, a trend that was accentuated during the last quarter of 2021, when they plummeted 33.5% compared to the same period last year.
In a market affected by the scarcity of semiconductor chips, during the last part of the year, manufacturers favored sales of electric vehicles, which allow a greater profit margin, the AFP news agency reported.
On the other hand, diesel registered a drop in sales of 31.5% in the year and for the first time they were equal to those of hybrids.
The reputation of this class of vehicles was severely affected by the “dieselgate” scandal in which Volkswagen installed software to alter the results of polluting controls on cars, which could emit 40 times more than what is legally accepted.
The transition to electric vehicles is expected to continue until 2035, the year in which the European Commission plans to ban sales of fossil fuel cars.
Source: Ambito
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