China GDP grows 5% in Q1, beats expectations on exports, spending strength
Investing.com -- Chinese automaker BYD more than tripled its European Union car sales in the first two months of 2026, industry data showed on Tuesday, as battery-electric vehicles captured 18.8% of the market even as overall registrations edged lower.
BYD registered 29,291 vehicles in January-February, up 179.2% from 10,491 a year earlier, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), making it the standout performer in an otherwise subdued market.
Total EU new car registrations fell 1.2% year-on-year to 1,664,680 units in the two-month period, ACEA said.
Battery-electric cars accounted for 312,369 registrations, up 22.3% from 255,463 in the same period of 2025, when they held a 15.2% share.
Hybrid-electric vehicles remained the most-registered power type at 643,898 units, representing 38.7% of the market.
Plug-in hybrids reached 162,751 units, or 9.8% of registrations, up from 7.4% a year earlier, driven by Italy where volumes more than doubled at 116.1%, followed by Spain at 71.5% and Germany at 23.8%.
The combined petrol and diesel share fell to 30.6% from 38.7% a year earlier. Petrol registrations dropped 23.3% to 374,774 units while diesel declined 17.7%, accounting for 8.1% of new registrations.
Among the four largest EU markets for battery-electric cars, which together represent 61% of such registrations, France rose 38.5% and Germany gained 26.3%, while the Netherlands fell 34.9% and Belgium dropped 11%.
France recorded the steepest petrol decline among major markets at 48.5%, followed by Germany at 22.8%, Spain at 20.8% and Italy at 18.6%.
Among manufacturers, Stellantis posted the strongest gain among major groups, rising 9.5% to 304,251 units. Volkswagen Group, the market leader with a 27% share, slipped 0.7% to 449,294 units. Renault Group fell 16.1% to 161,262 units, with Dacia dropping 30.9%. Tesla rose 16.7% to 20,941 units. SAIC Motor gained 6.6% to 32,214 units.
Jaguar registered zero vehicles in the January-February period against 446 a year earlier following the British brand’s model transition.
