Auto Industry Trends and Statistics

Key trends shaping the automotive industry include the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), advancements in autonomous driving technology, and shifts toward sustainability. These trends are transforming how vehicles are manufactured, sold, and used.

More people are choosing electric vehicles (EVs) over traditional gasoline cars. This shift is fueled by government incentives and efforts to reduce pollution.

Around 21.2 million EVs were sold globally in 2025, up from 17 million in 2024.¹ That extends a steep climb: 14 million were sold in 2023², up from 10.2 million in 2022.

• Electric vehicle sales accounted for about 18% of all new car sales globally in 2023², rising from around 9% in 2021, and climbed to about 25% in 2025.¹
• China remains the largest market for electric vehicles, representing over 60% of global EV sales in 2025. Europe and the United States followed, with countries like Norway leading in terms of EV adoption, where electric cars (including plug-in hybrids) made up about 97% of all new car sales in 2025.¹
• Major automakers are continuing to increase their investment in EVs. Companies such as Volkswagen and General Motors have announced plans to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles over the next decade.

• Most Popular Electric Vehicle (EV): The Tesla Model 3 remains the most popular EV globally.
• Top Electric Car Brands: Tesla, BYD, and Volkswagen lead the EV market.
• Top Markets for EVs: China, the U.S., and Europe are the largest markets for electric vehicles.
• Leading EV Manufacturer: Tesla continues to be the leader in EV sales, with the Tesla Model 3 being the best-selling electric vehicle worldwide.

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, the development of charging infrastructure is expanding rapidly.

In 2022, the number of public EV chargers worldwide grew to 2.7 million, marking a 55% increase from the previous year.¹ The expansion of fast-charging stations is crucial to support the rising EV market, and governments are making substantial investments in this area.

Connectivity is now a core feature of modern vehicles, offering enhanced driving experiences through real-time data, entertainment, and diagnostics.

• By 2023, 192 million connected vehicles⁸ were in service globally, with the number projected to reach 367 million by 2027 as connected infotainment and advanced driver-assistance technologies become more widespread.
• The number of connected cars is expected to grow, reaching 367 million by 2027⁸, as connectivity becomes standard in more models.
• The connected car market, valued at USD 84.72 billion in 2022, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% from 2023 to 2030.⁹

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication is also shaping the future of driving, enabling cars to interact with infrastructure, other vehicles, and pedestrians, improving safety and traffic flow.

SUVs have continued to gain popularity, overcoming supply chain issues and rising inflation.

• SUVs continue to dominate global car sales. In the United States, SUVs represented more than three-quarters of both new conventional and electric car sales in 2025. with growth seen in the United States, India, and Europe.
• The trend is also strong in the EV market. In 2025, large cars and SUVs accounted for almost 70% of the global electric car market, showing that EV adoption is increasingly concentrated in larger vehicle segments.¹²
• SUV availability has also expanded. In 2025, SUVs accounted for around half of all available electric car models worldwide, while large vehicles including SUVs represented almost 70% of available electric models, up from around 55% in 2020. ¹²

The electrification of commercial vehicles, including trucks and buses, is also rapidly growing.

In 2025, around 70,000 electric buses were sold, making up 5% of total bus sales globally, bringing the total stock to about 820,000 electric buses.¹

Electric trucks are seeing even faster adoption: global sales rose from about 70,000 in 2022 to 100,000 in 2023, then surged to around 210,000 in 2024 and 440,000 in 2025.¹

Electric trucks reached 9% of global truck sales in 2025. In China, they made up 26% of total sales, while in Europe, they accounted for 3%.¹

Under today's stated policies, the IEA expects the stock of electric buses to grow more than fourfold by 2035, to about 3.6 million, while the stock of electric trucks could grow around ninefold, to about 10 million.¹

Companies like Ford, Rivian, and Tesla are at the forefront of this transition, playing a key role in reducing emissions in logistics and transportation​.

Hydrogen fuel is gaining attention as a key player in the future of clean energy, especially for heavy-duty transport.

Hydrogen remains a potential low-emissions energy source for transport, although deployment is still limited compared with battery-electric vehicles. In 2025, the global stock of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) grew 20% to almost 130,000 vehicles, driven largely by fuel-cell truck sales in China and recovering passenger-car sales in Korea.¹⁶

International trade is also expected to play an important role in the hydrogen market. According to the IEA, more than 40% of announced low-emissions hydrogen project volumes for 2030 are trade-oriented if all announced projects materialize. However, less than 8% of this trade-oriented pipeline, around 1 Mtpa of hydrogen equivalent, is currently operational, under construction, or backed by committed investment.

• In California, there were 14,128 actively registered FCEVs as of April 2025, according to the California Air Resources Board. The state remains the main U.S. market for retail hydrogen-powered passenger vehicles.
• The Toyota Mirai remains available in the U.S., although sales are limited. Toyota reported just 210 Mirai sales in 2025, down from 499 in 2024.
• Other fuel-cell passenger vehicles include the Hyundai Nexo and Honda’s CR-V e:FCEV, while the earlier Honda Clarity Fuel Cell has been discontinued.
• Honda’s CR-V e:FCEV is now available at select dealerships in California. The current model has an EPA-rated 270-mile total driving range, including approximately 29 miles of battery-only EV range, combining plug-in charging with hydrogen fuel-cell power.

Despite continued development, hydrogen passenger vehicles remain a niche market. Wider adoption depends on factors including fuel availability, infrastructure development, vehicle costs, and investment in low-emissions hydrogen production.

• The global car-sharing market was valued at $11.52 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $28.67 billion by 2030, growing at a 20% CAGR from 2025 to 2030.¹⁷
• The number of users of car-sharing services is expected to rise from 123.4 million in 2022 to 269.4 million by 2027.¹⁸
• Similarly, the number of vehicles in car-sharing fleets is projected to grow from 575,000 in 2022 to 979,000 by 2027¹⁸​.
• Car-sharing services are now available on all continents except Antarctica, with Asia leading the way, accounting for about 40% of the global car-sharing fleet. Europe follows with 30%, while North America ranks third​.
• North America, which faced challenges in previous years, saw improvements in 2022, with its fleet size growing by 7.9% and subscriber numbers increasing by 9.1%.¹⁸

This rapid growth is also supported by large car rental companies acquiring smaller car-sharing platforms, further expanding their reach.