Some 17% of new passenger car registrations in Europe were electrified in April, a month in which registrations tumbled to their lowest level since the 1970s.
Overall market volume fell from 1.34m units in April 2019 to 292,600 vehicles in April 2020, the lowest monthly level since the 1970s, and the worst result among the big three markets of China, US-Canada, and Europe.
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Europe's sharp decrease was only outperformed by India (-100%) where year to date volume was also the lowest result recorded since JATO Dynamics started to track registration data in 1980.
Its global analyst Felipe Munoz said: "Lockdown across the globe contributed significantly to the huge drop in registrations. Not a single OEM was prepared for this scenario or expecting a crisis on such a large scale.
"The only silver lining from this turbulence is that it has created an opportunity for automotive players to reassess their operations and become more agile."
As quarantine was not enforced across all countries, registrations fell at different times and different levels. For instance, in Scandinavia, citizens were granted more freedom of movement, thus registrations fell by 37%, the lowest decrease.
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By GlobalDataIn contrast, four of the top five markets saw significant declines following strict lockdown restrictions. Combined registrations in Italy, the UK, Spain and France tumbled from 646,000 units in April 2019 to 34,000 a year later.
Electrified vehicles continued to gain traction with 50,400 units, for 17% of total market share.
Demand fell by 46% compared to April 2019 but this was due mostly to hybrids which saw a decline of 66% to 18,900 units.
Pure electric cars registered a decrease of 29% to 16,700 vehicles, while plug-in hybrids saw almost 14,000 new buyers, up by 7%.
Munoz: "EVs were already driving part of the small growth that remained in 2019. This year, as governments have acted quickly to protect their people and economies, EVs have gained even more traction and visibility due to incentives.
"These cars are likely to become the top choice for consumers seeking private transportation. OEMs who have invested heavily in EVs, are best placed to navigate the tough months ahead."
Registrations of VW, Volvo, Audi and Ford EVs posted double-digit growth.
SUV registrations in April totalled 109,500 units, 78% less than April 2019 as market share remained stable at approximately 37%. Volume fell mostly due to the B-SUV and C-SUV subsegments – as they are very popular in France, Italy and Spain, the models were badly hit given these were three of the most affected markets.
In contrast, bigger and more expensive SUVs posted more moderate declines. SUVs lost market share in the UK from 43% in April 2019, down to 37% in April 2020. Spain also saw a decrease, down from 45% in April 2019 to 41% in April 2020. Contrary to this, SUVs gained notable traction in Greece, with their market share rising to 47% in April 2020, compared to just 28% in April 2019. Similarly, in Ireland their market share increased to 62% in April 2020 from 47% in April 2019.
The global pandemic impacted the sales performance of 419 (out of 433) models that were available in both April 2019 and April 2020. Only 13 models saw an increase in registrations.
