The European auto market is picking up – it grew by 6 percent in the first half of 2014 – and also changing rapidly. Out of the 24 segments tracked by Automotive News Europe, nine had leadership changes since last year.
Can you guess which segment is the fastest-growing overall? That’s right, electric vehicle sales in Europe are up by 91 percent to 23,826 units. Of course, that growth is from a very low base – European EV sales are only now starting to stir, largely because the German automakers, which dominate the market, have only recently begun to introduce electric models.
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The top-selling EV over there is the LEAF, which saw sales grow 56 percent to 7,127 units, replacing last year’s front-runner, the Renault Zoe.
The mix of models varies hugely from one country to the next. VW’s e-Golf is currently the top seller in Norway, while the BMW i3 leads the pack in Germany. In France, the top seller in August was the Renault Kangoo ZE commercial minivan.
Source: Automotive News Europe