Visitors examine an electric car by Chinese automobile manufacturer Wuling during a car exhibition in Tangerang on November 15, 2021.
(Photo : ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images)
China dominates EV race, as sales of electric vehicles surged across the globe. It is not a complete surprise to see carmakers accelerating their electrification plans as the popularity of EVs is at an all-time high, especially in the world's largest auto market, with more than 3.2 million electric vehicles sold in mainland China last year, as per Tech Wire Asia. That figure includes fully electric and plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles and accounts for half of all-electric cars sold worldwide in 2021.
According to technology research company Canalys, approximately 6.5 million EVs were sold in total in 2021 worldwide, a massive 109 percent increase from 2020. The growth of the EV market in China was tremendous as well, with the Asian powerhouse selling 2 million more electric vehicles than it did the year before. That figure is astounding, considering sales in the total global car market grew by only 4 percent in 2021 because of the ongoing semiconductor shortage.
Sales of electric vehicles represented 9 percent of all passenger car sales in 2021. Canalys reckons that figure could have been much higher had it not been for the shortage of vital computer chips that is still affecting every automaker worldwide.
China's EV market share doubles in 2021
According to Canalys' Principal Analyst Jason Low, China saw a huge spike in terms of market share of electric vehicles last year. EVs accounted for 15 percent of new cars sold in China last year, more than double its percentage in 2020. Low expects that number to further grow in 2022 and beyond, with new EV models being launched monthly in each market segment, from sports utility vehicles to city cars.
Canalys added that the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, manufactured by a joint venture (JV) between General Motors (GM), SAIC, and Wuling, remained the best-selling EV model in mainland China in 2021, the Business Times reported. It has been the best-selling electric vehicle in China since its release in 2020.
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Tesla gaining steam in China with Model Y and Model 3
Tesla's electric vehicles took the next two places, with the Model Y finishing in second and the Model 3 ranking third. Low warned that there might be a shakeup in the rankings soon with competition in the Chinese EV market ever-increasing.
He noted that BYD, the leading EV brand in China before with several popular plug-in hybrids and fully electric models, has recently expanded its range of electric vehicles, according to Pandaily. Other brands that recorded strong EV sales in mainland China last year were Changan, Chery, Li Xiang, Aion, Xpeng, Roewe, and Ora.
China may be the king in terms of EV sales last year, but Europe was the region that had the highest EV adoption rate. Electric vehicles accounted for 19 percent of total car sales in Europe in 2021, with 2.3 million units delivered. Tesla Model 3 reigned supreme in the continent, claiming the title of the best-selling electric car in Europe in 2021.
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