acf domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/ecg/ecgassociationdev/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121Automotive News Europe — 2026-06-22
Automotive Industry
New-car registrations in Europe were up by 3.4 percent in May compared with May 2025, as electric vehicles continued their torrid sales pace, led by Tesla, and Chinese brands topped a 10 percent market share for the first time.
Sales of full-electric vehicles rose by 39 percent in May compared with 31 percent for the year, according to figures from market analyst Dataforce that include 98.3 percent of registrations in the EU, U.K. and EFTA countries. Only Portugal and Cyprus still have to report figures.
The market is up 4.4 percent for the year, which has been marked by uncertainly around the outcome of the conflict in the Middle East and higher fuel and energy prices resulting from an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil tanker route.
Chinese brands recorded 121,030 sales in May, almost double the figure from May 2025. For the month, they had a market share of 10.7 percent. The previous record share was in April, at 9.8 percent.
BYD passed MG parent SAIC Motor to become the bestselling Chinese automaker, according to the preliminary figures, and Chery was just several hundred sales behind SAIC.
The surging EV market was largely driven by Tesla, which doubled its sales in May from the same month last year. The Model Y was the bestselling EV and No. 3-selling car in Europe in May, with sales up 68 percent. The Model 3 did even better, with sales up 198 percent, to finish as the No. 2-selling EV.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales slowed slightly for the month, with a gain of 15 percent. The PHEV market is up 26 percent for the year.
Chinese automakers easily recorded the biggest percentage gains among volume manufacturers, with Leapmotor (a Stellantis joint venture partner) up 487 percent, Chery up 243 percent, BYD up 141 percent and Xpeng up 138 percent.
Among non-Chinese automakers, Tesla led with a gain of 99 percent following the release earlier this year of lower-priced versions of the Model Y and Model 3.
Other automakers that outpaced the market were Geely Group (including Volvo), which gained 7.9 percent, Honda (+7.1 percent), Mazda (+6.8 percent and BMW Group (+4.3 percent).
Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Hyundai/Kia struggled in May
Automakers that struggled in May included Mitsubishi, down 44 percent; Ford, which lost 27 percent; Nissan, down 14 percent; and Hyundai/Kia, down 10.3
Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen Group, Stellantis, Toyota and Renault Group were all in negative territory for the month.
By brands, most Chinese marques had a strong month, with two new namesake mass-market brands, Chery and Geely, standing out. Chery sold 5,289 cars in May versus just nine in May 2025, and Geely sold 2,378 versus 135 in 2025.
Non-Chinese brands that did well in addition to Tesla included Mini, which was up 44 percent; Subaru, up 22 percent; Fiat, up 21 percent; and Opel, up 5.1 percent.