Does electric mean good business for automanufacturers? La hausse des immatriculations des véhicules électriques neufs observée en 2020 a continué durant le premier semestre 2021 (+ 60 %). Manufacturers’ offers have expanded and the arrival of new distributors has increased. A phenomenon that has resulted in some changes shaking up the electrified automotive landscape. The electrified automotive landscape has undergone changes.
The “French” electric cars well ranked
While the Renault Zoé had been leading the electric car market since 2012, it recently found itself in second place, overtaken by the Tesla Model 3! The American car experienced incredible success following a significant price drop announced by the manufacturer at the very beginning of the year. With over 13,000 registrations in the first seven months of the year, it has claimed the top spot in the French market. The Zoé has been making a strong comeback since May. In the first seven months of the year, it totaled nearly 12,000 registrations.
A change in the situation in recent weeks for the French market: in the segment of fully electric passenger vehicles, the Renault Zoé has climbed back to the top spot with 1,148 registrations! This Renault is performing worse than in June. But the car remains in first place in sales. It accounted for 3,349 units. The Peugeot e-208, which held the top spot in April 2021, takes second place with fewer than 1,000 registrations (898 to be exact). The top three is completed by the Fiat 500 with 632 units.
A situation that is expected to intensify with the arrival of unique offerings on the market, such as the Dacia Spring and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, each of which will bring a fresh boost to electromobility in their respective segments. A trend that promises a positive future for electric vehicle sales. Starting in 2024, car manufacturers plan multiple launches of electrified models.
No more combustion engines.
An initiative that precedes the political measures of the Fit for 55 plan (1). A plan that would ban combustion engines and hybrid engines by 2035. And everything will move very quickly… The Stellantis group (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, Fiat-Chrysler) has announced that it will phase out combustion engines to focus on electrifying its models and technologies by 2025. Starting in 2024, the DS brand will no longer offer combustion engines. Only an electrified lineup. The group aims to sell 55 electrified cars in Europe and the United States by 2025.
Electric Vehicles: Claiming Their Place.
On the Wolfsburg side, Volkswagen states that by 2033, 50% of its vehicles will be electric. 100 % in 2040. Starting in 2025, the Mercedes brand will offer models with an architecture designed specifically for fully electric vehicles. In Munich, BMW plans to produce up to 7 million fully electric cars. It’s almost already the case for the Mini range…
In France, Renault aims to reach 65% electrified vehicles within three years, and 90% by 2030. And then there’s the Swedish brand Volvo, along with its Polestar division, both moving toward producing exclusively fully electric vehicles. Audi, the German manufacturer, plans to go fully electric by 2033. At the Olympic Games, the important thing is to take part. From 2024 onwards, car manufacturers will need to do better to secure their place in the rankings of fully electric car sales.
Pierre-Jean Côme
(Source: Inovev Consulting)
*‘Fit for 55’ (Ready for 55) is a legislative package referring to the EU’s goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 55% by 2030. This is an intermediate step, before aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050. It is about becoming more restrictive in the carbon market. In the automotive sector, this means revising the CO2 emission standards for new vehicles. Emission allowances could be reduced to zero by 2035. This would lead to the ban on the sale of vehicles with combustion engines and the requirement to switch to electric vehicles. In France, the end of gasoline car sales is currently set for 2040.
