New car sales hit 1.95 million in 2024; EVs take 19.6 per cent share; Ford Puma is Britain’s best selling car, Volkswagen is Britain’s favourite car brand

China's car sales maintained their growth pace in 2024 as sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the world's largest auto market hit a record high amid a brutal price war and with subsidised trade-ins for greener vehicles driving purchases.

Sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids, known collectively as new energy vehicles (NEVs), rose 40.7% to make up 47.2% of total car sales last year, closing in on a 50% milestone, buoyed by a programme likened to the 2009 US "cash-for-clunkers" stimulus.

Benz's core car sales fell in 2024, a tough year for the auto industry marked by waning demand in a weak economy, especially in China, the German luxury carmaker said on Friday. Despite this, Mercedes stock inched higher after the results and was up 4% by 1120 GMT,

Car sales fell 3% to 1.98 million last year in a challenging global market, with top-end vehicle sales weighed by market conditions in China, model changes and weak electric-vehicle demand.