Although Europe has embraced fully electric vehicles, they’re also buying plug-in hybrids, which serve as a nice bridge for those not ready to ditch internal combustion just yet. To that end, the Ford Kuga PHEV has been popular with the continent’s car shoppers, as it was the most popular of its kind in 2022 and for the first half of 2023. In the third quarter, sales momentum has been in the Kuga’s favor too, first in July and now in August, according to fresh data from JATO Dynamics.
Last month, the Ford Kuga PHEV racked up 4,295 sales in Europe, which represented a 15 percent year-over-year increase, and enough to keep it far ahead of its rivals in the market. It was followed by the Mercedes GLC, BMW X1, Kia Sportage, BMW X5, Volva XC60, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volvo XC40, Cupra Formentor, and BMW 3 Series. Overall, there 68,102 total PHEV sales in August 2023, which represented an eight percent increase over August 2022.
Overall, new vehicle sales in Europe grew by 20 percent, although electric vehicles sales grew by 102 percent, while gasoline vehicle only grew by 11 percent. That said, gasoline vehicles still represent the majority of new vehicle sales in the region, at 53 percent.
“Although the current industry debates often point towards a slowdown in growth for BEVs, our data shows that growth in demand remains strong, due to their increasingly competitive pricing, and continuous support from governments across Europe,” said Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics. The Ford Kuga and Puma have been strong sellers for the automaker in Europe, and the duo will likely be the last gasoline vehicles sold by the company in the region. Both models are expected to be refreshed within the next year.
We’ll have more on the Kuga PHEV soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Kuga news and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comment
And why we do not have the Kuga. Is it smaller than the Escape? Less expensive? Escape in NY Region has priced itself out of market. Chevy has 4 vehicles less expensive than the Escape. In this current market, Ford lessee’s renew into Chevy.