Exports of German electric cars more than doubled
In Germany, the switch to electric cars has recently slowed down. Nevertheless, German car manufacturers sold their electric cars abroad very successfully between January and August.
Exports of German electric cars have increased noticeably since the beginning of the year. In the first eight months, 520,000 electric vehicles worth 23.9 billion euros were delivered abroad, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Friday.
This means that exports increased in volume by more than double the same period last year (255,000 units worth 12 billion euros). The most important buyer for electric cars was Belgium (73,000 units), followed by the Netherlands (72,000) and the United Kingdom (71,000). 51,000 electric cars were exported to the USA.
Under increasing pressure from competition from China, car companies in Europe are working on cheaper models for the broad masses of buyers. The switch to electric vehicles in Germany has recently slowed down because there are hardly any battery-electric cars that broad groups of buyers can afford.
Exports of internal combustion engine cars also increased
Even though the share of electric cars in total car exports is increasing, vehicles with classic combustion engines continued to make up the majority from January to August. 1.1 million of these cars were exported with a value of 42 billion euros, 9.7 percent more in volume than in the same period last year.
The most important purchasing countries were the USA (142,000 units), followed by the United Kingdom (118,000 units) and China (116,000 units). Exports of hybrid vehicles, however, fell by 15.5 percent in the first eight months of the year – to 487,000 vehicles worth 20.7 billion euros.
There was also an increase in imports: with 308,000 electric cars imported for 9.8 billion euros, the volume was two thirds more than in the same period last year. The most important supplier countries were China, followed by South Korea and France. Imports of combustion engines rose less sharply. In the three most important displacement classes for cars with exclusively combustion engines, a total of 768,000 cars worth 18.6 billion euros were imported – 11.4 percent more in volume than in the first eight months of 2022. The most important supplying countries here were Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
