World market: E-car market is growing faster again

Global new electric car registrations are accelerating again. In the first half of the year, there were more than 5.9 million purely battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs), according to an analysis by the auditors PwC. This is 37 percent more than in the same period last year. By comparison, sales in 2024 as a whole increased by just over 14 percent.

The consulting firm also sees a "renaissance" of electric cars in Europe . 1.2 million electric cars were sold here – a record for the first half of the year and an increase of 25 percent. Pressure from stricter CO₂ fleet limits may have contributed to this. Nevertheless, the continent continues to decline in importance as an electric car market – simply because other markets are growing even faster, especially China . The country can further expand its dominance, as sales there increased by 47 percent to just over 3.7 million BEVs.

"German automakers are barely benefiting from this enormous momentum," PwC reports. "In the first half of the year, they sold 32 percent fewer BEVs in China than in the same period in 2024." However, at the same time, they have made significant gains in Europe. The US ranks third among the global markets behind China and Europe. However, 592,000 new registrations represent only a comparatively weak growth of seven percent.

Looking at the European countries individually, Germany is currently back in third place worldwide with 249,000 BEVs, which it had previously lost to the United Kingdom, which is now in fourth place with 225,000 cars.

Despite the positive figures in Europe, it remains unclear for German manufacturers what the transformation will actually look like, says Felix Kuhnert of PwC. "Do they focus entirely on one technology or continue to pursue two parallel paths with the combustion engine and the electric car , with the associated costs and innovation expectations?" Emission-free driving is being demanded by politicians and society, while the capital market, after the initial investments in electromobility, now expects profitable business models.

Kuhnert warns, however, that if manufacturers put all their eggs in this basket, dependence on Asia could pose a risk for some parts of the supply chain. "Rare earths and materials like lithium are the foundation of electromobility and are increasingly becoming Europe's strategic Achilles heel," says Jörn Neuhausen of the PwC-affiliated consultancy Strategy&. European governments and the automotive industry urgently need to "work together and establish a forward-looking raw materials strategy," he warns. "In addition to building their own value chains in Europe, diversifying existing sources of supply is essential to reduce dependencies and secure long-term demand."