"Revival of the Internal Combustion Engine": Sales of Electric Cars Continue to Decline Sharply

After the end of the electric car subsidy in Germany in mid-December 2023, the registration numbers of electric vehicles in this country continue to decline. As many manufacturer programs that initially mitigated the end of the subsidies have now expired, the year-on-year decrease is increasing. While the decline since the beginning of the year was around 16% to 140,700 units compared to the same period last year, the trend accelerated to –31% in May (29,710 vehicles).

"We are currently experiencing a revival of combustion engines," explained the Vice President of the Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Industry (ZDK), Thomas Peckruhn, spokesperson for brand trade in Germany. "This is also due to the fact that many manufacturers and importers are steering their sales incentives back in this direction instead of supporting e-mobility. Customers are generally open to electric cars, but the overall price difference is still too high for many."