Over the first seven months of 2019, the European car market showed a decline: 9 million 723 thousand 400 cars were sold, which is 2.5% less than in the same period last year.
The leader in July sales in the European Union was Volkswagen. The German brand sold 156,866 cars in a month, which is 6.6% less than in 2018. The second place was taken by Ford with a result of 83,794 cars — this is 7.3% more than a year earlier.
The top three was closed by Peugeot: the French manufacturer sold 80,824 cars, exceeding last year's figure by 5.2%. The fourth and fifth positions were taken by Mercedes-Benz and Opel, which sold 75,787 (+18.2%) and 72,940 (+8.2%) cars respectively.
Among models, the Volkswagen Golf remains the most popular among Europeans, and the second place in the ranking is held by another model of the concern — Polo.
The study also recorded an increase in demand for electric vehicles and hybrids. In July, 96,600 such vehicles were sold in Europe — 29% more than in the same month of 2018. Sales of purely electric cars grew especially noticeably: they jumped by 98% and reached 23,200 units. The most popular "green" model was the Renault Zoe, but in terms of the total number of electric cars sold, Tesla retained its leadership.
At the same time, the market continues to lose interest in diesel cars: in July, their sales decreased by 5% compared to the same period in 2018.
