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Electric car sales hit a record 54% of all new vehicle sales in Norway last year, but Tesla’s Model 3 lost its place as the country’s best-selling vehicle despite a late surge.
This is the first time that a country has recorded more sales of electric cars than gasoline, diesel and hybrid cars in an entire year.
The Norwegian government plans to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by 2025 and has used incentives and tax breaks in recent years to encourage an electric car boom.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 54.3% of new passenger car sales in 2020, up from 42% in 2019, according to figures released Tuesday by the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV).
December was an exceptional month for car sales in the Nordic countries – the best on record – as more than 20,000 new vehicles were registered. Of those, 66.7% were electric vehicles and 4,232 were Tesla Model 3s – more than 20% of all vehicle sales in the month.
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However, Tesla’s TSLA,
Popular mid-size model – the best-selling car in Norway in 2019 – fell to second place in 2020, losing to Volkswagen’s VOW,
Audi e-tron with Volkswagen ID.3 in third position.
After a record year for Tesla in Norway in 2019, the US company faced stiffer competition in 2020 as rivals launched a number of electric cars, while the COVID-19 pandemic also affected sales.
December saw a comeback of some sort, with Tesla having sold 4,232 cars – 54% of its annual total of 7,770. The company is also expected to launch its Model Y electric SUV in Norway later this year, Reuters reported.
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