Sales Volume of 176,000 Units in December Last Year 'Sales Ratio Surpasses 20%'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] An analysis has emerged that electric vehicle sales in Europe have surpassed diesel vehicle sales for the first time ever.
According to a provisional tally of car sales in December last year across 18 European countries including the United Kingdom, major foreign media reported on the 16th (local time) that electric vehicle sales reached 176,000 units, surpassing diesel vehicle sales which fell short at 160,000 units for the first time in history. Last month, European electric vehicle sales increased by 6% compared to the same month the previous year, setting a record high.
Electric vehicle sales have steadily increased, especially in Germany and other countries, due to subsidies provided for electric cars. On the other hand, diesel vehicles suffered a decisive blow to their eco-friendly image following the Volkswagen emissions scandal, known as ‘Dieselgate’, which broke out in September 2015. Before the Dieselgate incident, the proportion of diesel vehicle sales in Europe once exceeded 70%, but last month, the sales ratio did not even reach 19%. Meanwhile, the sales ratio of electric vehicles exceeded 20%.
The European Union (EU) is pushing strong eco-friendly policies with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 55% of 1990 levels by 2030. It strengthened vehicle emissions standards in 2020 and in July last year unveiled an eco-friendly policy plan that effectively bans the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles within the EU starting in 2035. At that time, the EU announced measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from new cars by 55% compared to 2021 levels by 2030, and by 100% from 2035 onward. From 2035, all newly registered vehicles must have zero carbon emissions, effectively banning the sale of gasoline and diesel cars.
Following this, Volkswagen, Europe’s largest automaker, announced plans to stop selling internal combustion engine vehicles in Europe by 2035. Volkswagen plans to sell half of its new cars as electric vehicles by 2030 and launch 75 electric vehicle models by 2029. Volkswagen intends to invest 52 billion euros (approximately 70.65 trillion won) in the electric vehicle sector by 2025.
Volkswagen maintained its position as the top seller of electric vehicles in Europe last year. Volkswagen’s total car sales in Europe last year were 3.5 million units, of which electric vehicle sales exceeded 310,000 units.
Although Volkswagen was the main actor in Dieselgate, it has solidified a strong position in the electric vehicle market through swift responses.
Independent automotive analyst Matthias Schmidt explained, "Since Dieselgate first emerged in September 2015, diesel vehicle sales have continuously declined," adding, "Volkswagen announced plans to launch the electric vehicle ID.3 model less than 30 days after the scandal broke." Volkswagen began selling the ID.3 in 2020.
As more European cities ban old diesel vehicles and increase taxes on diesel cars, the gap between electric vehicle and diesel vehicle sales is expected to widen further.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in a report last November that under the 2050 carbon neutrality plan, the proportion of electric vehicle sales among new cars, which was only 4.3% in 2020, is expected to rise to 25% by 2025 and 60.9% by 2030. At that time, the IEA reported that the number of electric vehicle sales, including hybrid vehicles, reached 3.24 million units, a 40% increase compared to 2019, surpassing 3 million units for the first time. Furthermore, it expected electric vehicle sales in 2021 to nearly double to 6.4 million units.
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