Seems that gasoline is still reasonably popular. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The good news for companies in the European Union that make things like con rods and pistons is that according to the most recent vehicle registration figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) people are still buying vehicles that use internal combustion engines.

Its figures for January 2025 show that 29.4% of EU new vehicle registrations in January were for “petrol” powertrains.

The number in January 2024 was 35.4% petrol power, so clearly things are moving in the wrong direction for those in the business of making engines and the components thereof.

However, looking at the numbers for hybrids, things appear in a different way.

In January 2024 hybrids represented 28.7% of the new registrations in the EU.

But in January 2025 hybrids are at 34.9%.

So while there was a 6% decline in petrol registrations between the two months, there was a 6.2% increase in hybrid registrations.

And hybrids, of course, use internal combustion engines, too.

So if we sum the figures, 64.3% of the new vehicle registrations in the EU in January have internal combustion engines.

If the plug-in hybrids are added (7.4%), that gets to 71.7% of the market.

Electric vehicles?

They’re 15% of the January 2025 new vehicle registrations, which is a move toward the upside compared to January 2024, when EVs were at 10.9%.

However, EU regulations regarding CO2 emissions are such that 20% of the vehicles sold by automakers must be zero emissions.

If the ~37% increase from January 2024 to January 2025 for EVs holds, there is not going to be a problem reaching that figure.

Still, presumably when the 20% rule was written it was a stretch goal but not one thought to be wholly unattainable.

At the end of the day, the Market will decide on what powers its vehicles.