CANBERRA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- The quarterly market share of battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) in Australia has fallen to a two-year low.
According to new sales data published by NGO the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), new BEV sales were 25.1 percent lower in the third quarter of 2024 spanning from the start of July through the end of September than in the previous three-month period.
Overall, there were 18,990 new BEVs sold in Australia in the September quarter, a market share of 6.5 percent compared to 8.1 percent in the second quarter of 2024.
It represents the lowest market share for battery EVs since 2022.
However, sales of new hybrid vehicles were 3.3 percent higher in the September quarter than the preceding June quarter and the market share rose from 14.9 percent to 16.7 percent.
"There have been significant quarterly fluctuations over the past seven quarters. But sales figures over that period confirm a clear trend of growth for hybrids, while BEV market share appears to have peaked for now," the AAA said.
"In the first half of 2023, BEVs outsold hybrids, but since then hybrids have outsold BEVs in five consecutive quarters."
There were 289,098 total new light vehicle sales in the September quarter, down 7.6 percent from the previous quarter.
Sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles fell by 9.1 percent and the ICE market share declined by 1.2 percent to 74.2 percent.
Medium-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs) remained Australia's most popular cars, accounting for 25.2 percent of all new light vehicle sales. ■
