Worldwide sales of new electric vehicles (EVs) experienced a 100% increase to 4.6 million units in 2021, reports Nikkei Asia. Spurred on by strong demand in China and Europe, EV sales surpassed those of hybrids for the first time. New EV sales around the world in 2021 increased to 2.2 times their 2020 level, while new hybrid car sales rose 35% to around 3.1 million. EV sales nearly tripled from 2019, with hybrid sales climbing around 30%.
The jump in EV sales is largely thanks to brisk demand in China, the world’s largest market for such vehicles. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, new EV sales in 2021 increased 2.6 times from a year earlier to 2.91 million units. Government subsidies and the rollout of cheap models drove more consumers to buy EVs.
Chinese carmaker Wuling launched its low-cost Hong Guang Mini EV in 2020, which was available at around $4,000. It sold around 420,000 units of the car in 2021. Overall car sales in the country hit 26.27 million units, with EVs accounting for 10% or more of that for the first time.
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