Global sales of light-duty vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine peaked in 2017 at over 80 million.
December 9, 2024
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Global sales of light-duty vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine peaked in 2017 at over 80 million. Although overall global vehicle sales were down relative to 2017, sales have been recovering following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since 2020, consumers have had more plug-in choices in the marketplace and most of the increase in sales was attributable to battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. As plug-in vehicles have gained in popularity, sales of vehicles powered only by internal combustion engines have declined or remained flat during that recovery, remaining below 60 million after 2021.
Notes: Data for the year 2024 are estimated.
The internal combustion category includes traditional hybrid vehicles that cannot be plugged in to charge the battery.
Source: BloombergNEF.