Electrified cars drive Europe auto sales growth as Chinese brands gain ground

July 23 : Demand for electrified cars continued to underpin growth in Europe's auto market in June, offsetting a sharp decline in petrol and diesel sales, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) showed on Thursday.Growth in car registrations, a proxy for sales, also helped Chinese brands expand their footprint further across the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association.• Total car registrations rose 13.1 per cent to 1,407,332 vehicles• Battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid car registrations climbed 51 per cent, 22.7 per cent and 17.1 per cent, respectively, together accounting for more than 80 per cent of all new vehicles • Petrol and diesel car registrations fell 12.2 per cent and 16.9 per cent respectively• Chinese automakers BYD,