Chinese carmakers extend European sales surge in June as EV demand climbs

BYD registrations more than double, industry data shows

Chinese carmakers continued to expand their European market presence in June, as BYD, SAIC Motor and Leapmotor all posted steep registration increases in a growing overall auto market, according to data released Wednesday by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA.

Registrations of BYD vehicles, a reflection of sales, more than doubled from a year earlier to 38,455 units across the European Union, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, the industry body said. SAIC Motor’s registrations rose 47% to 38,647 units, while Leapmotor’s surged more than sixfold to 12,829 vehicles.

Tesla, the U.S. electric-vehicle maker, extended its own streak: registrations grew nearly 50% in June to 52,563 vehicles, marking the fifth consecutive month of growth in Europe.

The gains from Chinese and American brands contrasted with the slower pace of large European automakers. Volkswagen, Europe’s largest carmaker by volume, reported a 6.4% increase in registrations to 345,937 units. Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, posted a 5.3% rise to 191,012 vehicles.

Overall passenger-car registrations rose 13% across Europe and nearly 14% in the EU, with sales accelerating 16% in Germany and about 11% in both France and Italy. The surge was driven largely by electrified vehicles: battery-electric registrations jumped 51%, hybrid-electric cars gained 17%, and plug-in hybrids were up nearly 23%.

Stellantis earlier this year said it would book charges of about $26 billion as part of a shift away from electric vehicles. Volkswagen Chief Executive Oliver Blume said in an internal memo earlier this month that the company was assessing possible workforce adjustments across its various brands and regional subsidiaries, citing both the impact of U.S. tariffs and the inroads Chinese automakers are making in Europe. The German automaker is also contending with steep delivery drops in China, where domestic rivals have offered deep discounts to win customers.

Chinese marques, while selling far fewer vehicles in absolute numbers than their European competitors, continued to log much faster growth rates.