Passenger car registrations fell by 12% in March in Catalonia compared to the same month last year, to 9,454 units, employers reported on Monday. useful And Faconauto, which attributes this decline to the “Easter effect” (2023 fell in April). Of the total, 3,634 were gasoline, 24.75% less than in the same month of 2023; 566 diesel cars, an increase of 37.39%, and 5,254 electric cars and hybrid vehicles powered by hydrogen or liquefied natural gas, an increase of 4.89%. Statewide, March passenger car and SUV sales also fell 4.7% to 94,840 units, the first decline since December 2022 and ending 14 straight months of gains.
“We will have to wait until April to see whether or not we regain the upward trajectory. We are concerned about a decline of more than 27% in business purchases“, noted ANVAC Communications Director, Felix Garcia. “But we're more concerned about electric car sales. Adding electric and hybrid cars, the share in March reached only 10.3%“García pointed out.”We are still far from achieving decarbonisation targets, both in sales of this type of vehicles and in transshipment facilities“, lamented Anfac’s Director of Communications.
“The first quarter vehicle registration data confirms our expectations. We're in a practically stagnant market, growing at less than 5% year-to-date“, added Faconauto's Director of Communications, Raul Morales. “The beginning of the year also confirms the worst forecasts regarding the registration of electric vehicles which, far from progressing, are declining,” Morales insisted. “With this situation of stagnating market situation and the slowdown in the sale of electric cars, the Spanish government must take the far-reaching measures that the sector has been calling for for some time.”
-4.1% fewer registrations in the first quarter in Catalonia
Despite the bad numbers for March, the first quarter of 2024 registration in Spain is still at a positive figure of +3.1% – compared to the first months of 2023 – and 244,879 units. However, the numbers are still 22.7% lower than before the pandemic in 2019. The decline in March was observed in both the Individual (-3.9%) and Corporate (-27.3%) channel. But the supply of vehicles to meet the Easter period allowed car rental sales to increase by a solid 29.7%, with 31,900 units. If we take into account the cumulative period from the beginning of 2024, 27,682 vehicles were registered in Catalonia, -4.1% compared to the first quarter of 2023, with a total market share of 11.3%.
Finally, light commercial vehicle registrations rose by 3.3% in March in the state with 13,876 sales, while registrations of industrial vehicles, buses, coaches and minibuses rose slightly by 0.3% in the third month with 3,034 units.
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