Jump in EU EV sales amid Iran war boosts Chinese brands’ fortunes

European consumers, spooked by rising oil prices due to the Middle East conflict, rushed to buy battery-powered cars last month, with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brands poised to reap the benefits and give their global expansion a boost. Battery EV (BEV) registrations, a proxy for retail sales, climbed 51 per cent month on month in March, topping 224,000 units across 15 key European Union (EU) markets, according to data jointly released by research firm New Automotive and industry consortium...