The Ford Kuga PHEV has long been one of Europe’s favorite plug-in hybrids, ranking as the top-selling such model in 2023 before following up that success by ranking as the second-best-selling PHEV in both January and February to open the new year. Now, with a refreshed version of the popular crossover on the way, the Ford Kuga PHEV has once again held down the second spot in terms of plug-in hybrid sales in Europe in March, according to new data from JATO Dynamics.
While the Ford Puma ranked among the top ten of all new vehicles sold in Europe last month, the Ford Kuga PHEV held down its position near the top of the electrified sales charts after recording 4,509 sales, which represents a year-over-year decrease of six percent. It also ranked the Kuga PHEV behind the Volvo XC60 for the third straight month after that model sold 5,785 units, which equates to an increase of 38 percent versus March 2023.
However, the news wasn’t quite as positive for the overall European new vehicle market in March, as registrations declined by 2.7 percent year-over-year to 1,377,541 units. Thanks to some early growth, registrations for the entirety of Q1 2024 were actually up 4.8 percent versus Q1 2023, however, totaling 3,380,048 units.
“Although registration figures for the first quarter of 2024 paint a reasonably positive picture, the data for March is concerning,” said Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics. “The average price of a new car is still prohibitively high, and consumers are understandably hesitant about making the shift from petrol- and diesel powered vehicles to electric models. Instead of embracing the shift, uncertainty over regulation and a lack of clarity on incentives available for EVs in many European markets is putting off potential buyers. Concerns about the lifecycle of the batteries in these vehicles is another source of concern among consumers.”
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
Desperate… is this really news? Ford had a marketshare of 12% in the 1990’s. Nowadays, it’s only 3,4%!!! And this Kuga is a bestseller… come one, Ford of Europe needs to say to Jim Farley that Europe needs small cars (6 of the top 10 cars in Europe are Fiesta size) but Ford is not in it of course.