Europe's new passenger car market continues to grow rapidly

Sales of new cars in European Union countries rose sharply in August and the share of electric cars accounted for one-fifth of total sales.

In August, 787,626 new cars were sold in the European Union, exceeding last year's August sales figure by 21%. In the first eight months, over 7 million new cars were delivered to customers, an increase of 17.9% compared to the same period last year.

In August, the share of electric cars in all newly sold cars exceeded one-fifth for the first time, reaching 21 percent. The sales numbers of hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids also increased, but cars with gasoline engines still have the largest share (32.7%).

Among the major markets, sales of new cars in Germany (37.3%) and France (24.3%) grew most rapidly in August, and growth figures were also in double digits in Spain (16%) and Italy (11.9%).

Of the three Baltic states, sales of new cars in Latvia (7.4%) and Estonia (2.3%) grew the most in August, while sales in Lithuania remained at the same level as last year.