As we reach the midpoint of 2023, the Italian car market continues to experience a sustained rebound. With June’s figures confirming burgeoning growth for mild hybrids, plug-in vehicles have struggled to match figures seen elsewhere in Europe. Meanwhile, Tesla stays in a league of its own.for the month of June show a tonic car market, with over 140,000 overall registrations, marking a 9.4% increase year on year compared to June 2022. Petrol and diesel powertrains reached 28.5% and 18.
Plug-in hybrids, in line with previous results, reached higher sales than BEVs, a peculiarity of the Italian market that continues to buck the trend set anywhere else in Europe. With 7,539 units recorded in June, PHEVs grew a modest 6.5% YoY, from just over 7,000 in June 2022. At 5.4% market share , PHEVs lost out to growth in the broader car market, HEVs in particular. Combined registrations of BEVs and PHEVs thus stopped at 9.8%, down from 10.3% YoY.
In a surprise push, the Tesla Model 3 managed to soar to the best selling BEV spot, with a whopping 1,010 registrations. This was the D-segment sedan’s best result since March 2021, when it still didn’t have any direct competition, internal or external. Recent, extensive price cuts have made the Model 3 an outstanding value-for-money proposition, with the base version now even eligible for government incentives.
Distant followers to the Tesla pair, the Fiat 500e closed the podium with 452 registrations while the Smart ForTwo only managed 350 units in fourth position. More compact models trailed the Smart, with the notable debut of the brand new Jeep Avenger in seventh place with 285 registrations. The 2023 European Car of the Year should do well in Italy, as Jeep used to be owned by Italy’s Fiat before FCA merged with PSA Group to form Stellantis, and is thus considered a local brand.