The sales of passenger cars maintain the good rhythm. In the first six months of the year they increased by 24%, to 505,421 vehicles, according to data presented this Monday by the employers’ associations Anfac, Ganvam and Faconauto.
In June the increase was 13%, the sixth month of upturn in a row, with 101,085 registered units. It is the first time since December 2020 that 100,000 have been exceeded in a month, thanks to the pull of rental firms preparing for the summer.
Following the upward trend, purely electric passenger cars and SUVs grew by 68%, with 23,895 units registered until June. But they barely account for 4.7% of accumulated sales. Thus, despite the rise in alternatives, gasoline vehicles largely dominate the market, with a 25% increase in registrations in the first half, to almost 220,000 vehicles. They are 43% of the pie.
Non-plug-in hybrids are the second largest category for the year. 30% of the cars sold go to this group. They grow 32%, to 151,825 units.
The diesels, which complete the podium, are the only ones that lose ground, 6% to 67,400 units. They account for 13% of the market. For plug-in hybrids, 6% remains, with 31,647 units and an increase of 33%.
The panorama is positive in all channels. In round numbers, private purchases of passenger cars increased by 15%, to 204,000; companies 17% to 201,000 and rental companies 70% to 100,400. “The tourist campaign points to record levels, which has boosted purchases by rental companies,” said Félix García, director of communication and marketing for the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac).
With these figures, it is expected that the year will close with some 950,000 registered units. “Reaching one million will depend on how demand is maintained in the last four-month period and the impact that interest rates above 4% have on the purchase decision,” he pointed out. “The market has behaved better than expected,” said Raúl Morales, director of communication for Faconauto, dealership association. Sales are growing in all the autonomous regions, with Madrid and its 235,020 units (34%) at the forefront. In Catalonia sales grew 19.5% in the year, close to 60,000 units.
In June the best-selling car was the Dacia Sandero, with 2,838 units, followed by the Fiat 500 and the Seat Arona. The Sandero is also the one that sells the most so far this year -it adds 14,147 vehicles- with the Arona just behind, less than 100 units. “The factors that conditioned the production of vehicles, such as the lack of chips, are being left behind and this is making it possible to speed up deliveries,” explained Tania Puche, from the National Association of Vehicle Sellers and Repairers (Ganvam).
The most registered brand is Toyota, with some 7,200 vehicles, although it reduces its data by 13%. So far in 2023 it is also the most chosen, with 41,336 cars and an increase of 11.2%. A little further behind come Peugeot (35,580) and Kia (34,880). Volkswagen (34,860) and Seat (34,735) are on the heels of the podium.
