Overview
- Germany’s auto lobby forecasts 2.9 million car registrations in 2026 (about +2%), including roughly 693,000 battery‑electric cars and 286,000 plug‑in hybrids, contingent on rapid rollout of the federal support program.
- The European Commission has pushed back unveiling its auto package to next week and is considering changes to CO2 rules after 2035, including possible exemptions and new calculation methods that would still require EU and Parliament negotiations.
- Germany and six states—Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia—have urged Brussels to relax the 2035 combustion‑engine phase‑out to allow hybrids or other technologies beyond that date.
- Plug‑in hybrids remain buoyant in Germany’s fleet market due in part to favorable company‑car taxation (0.5% benefit in kind for models with at least 80 km electric range), with November data showing BYD’s Seal U as the top PHEV model.
- Rental and fleet operators warn that discussed EV quotas and charging shortfalls could strain operations, citing weak customer uptake and heavy losses reported in prior electrification pushes, even as long‑term electrification goals remain in place.