October was a difficult month for Europe’s automotive business, as whole registrations decreased by 30% to 790,652 items attributable to the continued affect of shortages of latest vehicles at dealerships.
Felipe Munoz, international analyst at JATO Dynamics, stated: “The scarcity of semiconductors is proving to be as extreme because the COVID lockdowns of final yr. Now we have seen factories shut down throughout the continent and, at current, the business is struggling to discover a answer to the provision chain disaster.”
Nonetheless, yr up to now whole quantity for Europe’s 26 markets was larger than in 2020, up by 2.6% to 9.85m items however the rise in September was 7%.
The shortages are additionally having a direct affect on gross sales management throughout the European market. Final month was the second time, this century, that Volkswagen Group fell out of the management place for month-to-month registrations rating by OEM. This was the primary time since its formation earlier this yr, that Stellantis had outsold the German producer.
Final month, VW recorded a 42% decline in quantity, with double digit drops in all nations besides Eire. Its compact and midsize vehicles have been probably the most severely affected segments.
Munoz added: “Carmakers are being pressured to prioritise their finest promoting segments, that means that the few out there semiconductors are getting used solely to provide SUVs and EVs.”
The market share for SUVs jumped from 40.7% in October 2020 to a brand new month-to-month file of 46.8% final month. Not like the standard segments, demand for SUVs has continued to realize momentum as producers roll out their new EV options. The phase was led by VW Group, Stellantis and Hyundai Kia however solely the latter posted notably robust development at 23%, as a consequence of its newest launches. Toyota, in sixth place, additionally noticed its quantity improve by 3%.
Throughout the month, 181,300 items of BEV and PHEV have been registered, accounting for 22.9% of whole market share, a brand new month-to-month file. Whereas the EV phase continues its upward trajectory, diesel automobiles are struggling to realize traction in Europe, with market share dropping to simply 19%.
Munoz stated: “As we noticed through the pandemic, the present disaster has proved to be extra of a chance than a risk to the creating EV market. COP 26 marked a major turning level for the business as 24 nations and 11 OEMs dedicated to not producing ICE automobiles by 2040, and so the shift in the direction of EVs will solely speed up additional within the coming years.”
As a consequence of the disaster, there was appreciable change within the rankings by mannequin. The Peugeot 2008 secured the highest spot for the primary time since its introduction in 2013. Stellantis noticed 5 of its fashions within the high 10, adopted by the Renault group with two fashions, and VW, Ford and Hyundai with one mannequin every.
The Hyundai Tucson once more carried out nicely, up by 59% due to the brand new era.
Robust outcomes have been additionally posted by the VW T-Cross +10%; BMW X3 +74%; Kia Sportage and Ceed, +23% and +26% respectively; Mitsubishi Area Star +45%; Ford Ecosport +36%; Tesla Mannequin 3 +236%; Porsche Macan +38%; BMW 4-Collection +31%; VW Arteon +103%; Porsche Taycan +41%; Lexus UX +28%.
Among the many newest launches, the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka secured a spot within the SUV high 10; the C4 grew to become Citroen’s second best-selling car; Renault’s Arkana outsold the Megane and Kadjar, and the Dacia Spring was the third best-selling BEV, behind the Renault Zoe and the Volkswagen ID.3.
