On April 17th, European consumers are showing renewed interest in gasoline vehicles compared to their counterparts in China.
In the first quarter, Volkswagen's electric car sales in the European market plummeted by nearly 25%. Globally, electric car sales from brands under the Volkswagen Group such as Audi, Skoda, and Porsche dropped by 3%, reaching 136,400 units, while sales of traditional gasoline vehicles increased by 4%, nearing 2 million units.
The sharp decline in Volkswagen's electric car sales is seen as a warning signal indicating a general return to gasoline vehicles in the European market.
Analysis suggests that the cooling demand for electric cars is mainly due to various European governments reducing subsidies and slowing down the phase-out targets for gasoline and diesel vehicles.
In the UK, Prime Minister Sunak postponed the ban on new gasoline and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035 and canceled subsidies for newly purchased electric cars last year.
Within the EU, discussions are ongoing about modifying policies banning the sale of gasoline vehicles to allow for the use of hybrid fuels.
Germany's withdrawal of subsidies for electric cars, coupled with the EU's postponement of emission targets, significantly impacted Volkswagen's sales.
In fact, in the United States, people are also lukewarm towards electric vehicles, with gasoline cars still being the preferred choice.
