The German automotive market achieved growth in February. According to data released Wednesday by the Federal Motor Transport Authority, a total of 211,262 new vehicles were registered, representing a 3.8 percent increase compared to the previous year. Electric vehicles were particularly in demand. Their market share stood at 21.9 percent—about four percentage points higher than a year earlier and now just one percentage point below the share of pure gasoline vehicles. However, the most popular type of drivetrain remained hybrid cars, which combine a combustion engine with an electric drive and accounted for two-fifths of the market.

The significant increase in electric vehicle sales primarily benefited import brands. According to the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK), foreign manufacturers sold almost two-thirds more electric vehicles than they did a year ago. Nearly every second electric car in Germany is not produced by a German manufacturer. VDIK President Imelda Labbe stated that the product offensive by international manufacturers in the affordable electric vehicle segment is having an effect.

(Report by Christina Amann, edited by Myria Mildenberger. For inquiries, please contact our editorial team at Berlin.Newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or Frankfurt.Newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for business and markets).