2022 was a year of defeat for electric mobility in Italy. Europe’s fourth largest market struggled to keep up with the rest of Europe’s major auto markets. While EVs made important gains in market share throughout the continent, Italian sales of plug-in vehicles suffered an unanticipated setback.
Italy’s EV market ended a weak 2022 with a December in line with the unimpressive figures posted in previous months. While the overall car market showed good signs of recovery, plug-ins yet again stalled in what is a reverse trend not followed by any other major European nation.
It was another month of bittersweet feelings for Italy’s car sales in November. With the rest of Europe leading the charge in the switch to electric mobility, the continent’s fourth largest auto market saw contrasting signs for EV adoption. Tesla taking a decisive lead in BEV sales helped lift full electric cars’ market share and limit Year-On-Year losses.
October 2022 was another month of misery for Italy’s once promising EV market. In stark contrast with the rest of Europe’s main arenas, which keep making strides in electric mobility adoption, the Mediterranean country is still in the midst of an identity crisis.
2022 has not been a pleasant journey for plug-in vehicles in Italy. Following years of exponential growth, the spark of the EV revolution seems to have gone cold in one of the arguably most important auto markets – by volume and automotive history – in Europe and the world.
There are no good news in sight for Italy’s EV market, which is witnessing a radical turn from the burgeoning growth of the past few years to a sudden, steady decline. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe continues to maintain growth trends despite economic uncertainties and global supply chain shortages.
There is no sign of relief for the ongoing EV crisis in Europe’s fourth largest auto market. As the rest of the Continent continues to enjoy an increasing share of plug-in vehicles across all major countries, Italy is showing a worrying pullback, whose causes – as ever – are also political.
All is not well in this hot Italian summer, as the fourth largest European auto market keeps showing signs of weakness in the transition to electric mobility. While all of Europe is experiencing clear signs of fatigue, due to slowing economies amidst Ukraine and energy wars, Italy is now experiencing a more dramatic decline, directly affecting electrified vehicles.
Italy’s auto market is at a crossroads. While most European markets continued seeing EV growth through the first six months of 2022, albeit in an overall subdued automotive economy, the Bel Paese was victim of a self-inflicted wound, as the Italian government struggled for months before launching an overdue fiscal package to support low emission vehicles. The result so far is a stop to the growth that had characterised electric mobility for the past five years in a row.
Signs of recovery in Italy’s car market as plug-in registrations go up at the end of the first half of the year. With a new incentive scheme now fully operational, sales of electrified powertrains were widely expected to pick up, and so it was.
