26% of New Car Sales in Germany Have a Plug, 14% Fully Electric
With several disruptions affecting it, the overall German automotive market is still in the red, with the market dropping 11% last month year over year. And it seems all this doom and gloom has finally got to EVs, with sales of full electric vehicles (BEVs) dropping in June by 4% year over year (YoY). There were 32,234 BEV registrations last month, representing 14.4% of the overall market. Plugin hybrids (PHEVs) performed worse than the overall market (-16%). Consumers might be starting to move away from them. The latter had 26,203 registrations, or 11.7% of the total auto market.
June’s 26% plugin vehicle share pulled the year-to-date score to 25% (14% BEV). A 25–30% result by year end seems not only possible, but likely.
Fiat 500e Tops EV Sales In Germany
Another month, another winner in the EV sales race. After the Ford Kuga PHEV (Euro-spec version of the Ford Escape PHEV) won the best seller title in May, this time the Fiat 500e took the title, thanks to a record 2,973 registrations.
The Tesla Model Y took the runner-up spot, with 2,144 units, and expect higher results from it in the second half of the year, once the Giga Berlin production ramp-up is further advanced.
The Ford Kuga PHEV completed the podium, and just below it, we have another surprise, with the little VW e-Up returning to life with 1,765 registrations. The same could be said about the #6 VW ID.3 — with 1,620 registrations, the ID.3 had its best score in the past 9 months. Could this mean that VW is back? One thing is for certain — expect the German brand to perform better in the second half of the year than it did in the first. (Well, that’s not too difficult, is it?…)
Other models also had their opportunity to shine, like the Mini Cooper EV, #13 last month, with 1,093 registrations. In #17 we have the Hyundai Tucson PHEV, getting a record 937 registrations, and below it, in #18, we salute the reappearance of the VW Golf PHEV (are they still selling this?!?! Apparently…). The ancient Golf PHEV had 925 registrations.
This meant Volkswagen Group had 9 representatives in June’s top 20. Not bad, Volkswagen, not bad….
Outside the top 20, the highlights are the Cupra Born, which had a record 888 deliveries, further highlighting Volkswagen Group’s positive month. Just below it, we have the Renault Megane EV with 864 registrations, a good start for the French hatchback in what was its first volume month in Germany.
Elsewhere, Stellantis has two more models looking to reach the table: the Peugeot e-208 EV (810 units) ended fewer than 100 units from the #20 Hyundai Ioniq 5, while the stylish Opel Mokka EV crossover also scored 810 registrations.
Finally, the Tesla Model 3 had 764 registrations, no doubt limited by the allocation constraints of Giga Shanghai. Regardless of that, we should see the Model 3 lose some charge now, to the benefit of its German-made sibling, the Model Y.
Regarding the 2022 table, the Tesla Model 3 has lost the leadership position to the Fiat 500e, mostly thanks to the city car’s record performance last month.
With the little Italian EV now #1 in the German plugin market, Stellantis finds itself leading the best selling models lists in 4 of the big 5 automotive markets in Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain). Besides the Fiat 500e leading in Germany, it has the Peugeot e-208 leading in France, the Jeep Compass PHEV in #1 in Italy (with the Jeep Renegade PHEV in 2nd and the Fiat 500e in 3rd — a 100% Stellantis podium), and the Peugeot 3008 PHEV ahead of all other plugin models in Spain.
This is a remarkable performance from the multinational conglomerate, even more so when we see that it is coming from four different models, highlighting the depth of their lineup. This should be raising some eyebrows at Volkswagen HQ. After all, Europe was supposed to be VW’s turf….
Back to the Germany table, besides the Fiat 500e, there were other models climbing in the table, like the Tesla Model Y, which was up to #6. The midsizer is set to climb further (#1 spot?) in the second half of the year.
Still in the first half of the table, the Opel Corsa EV was up two positions, to 8th, earning it the title of Best Selling Domestic EV. I know, I know — Opel does not come to mind first when we think of German carmakers, and I know the Corsa EV is made in Spain, but for all intents and purposes, it is a model from a German brand, so it deserves this title. Also, the fact that it got the title reaching only the 8th spot says a lot about the current showing of German automakers in their home market — quite poor.
But don’t worry, Volkswagen is on to the rescue of German pride — the “Climbers of the Month” came from its stable. The VW ID.3 jumped six positions, into #10, while the veteran VW e-Up was up four spots, to #16. Expect the compact EV to jump past the Opel Corsa EV during the second half of the year.
A reference goes out to the Audi e-tron climbing to #14. From BMW Group, two models went up in the table. The BMW 330e reached #13. (But … where is the BMW i4?!?!? Still sleeping?…). The 330e thus recovered its best seller status in the OEM’s lineup. The Mini Cooper EV is also up, now at #18.
Finally, with the Mercedes GLC PHEV down to #20, we could see PHEVs being reduced to just four representatives in the top 20 soon.
In the brand ranking, previous leader Mercedes-Benz (9.8%, down from 10.5%) lost the leadership of its home market to arch-rival BMW (10%). That’s despite BMW also dropping last month, down from 10.4% share. The good news is that Mercedes-Benz had the much bigger drop.
This is all to the profit of rising Volkswagen (9.6%, up from 8.9%). It is still in 3rd, but Volkswagen could jump into the leadership already next month. Volkswagen is followed by Audi (7.7%), which is at a comfortable 4th place.
In the race for the 5th position, we had a change, with Hyundai (6.1%) surpassing Tesla (6.0%) thanks to consistent performances across its lineup. Yes, that is even in the month of June.
Looking at the rankings by OEM, the standings remained the same. Volkswagen Group has its domestic market well in hand, having increased its market share by 0.9 point to 26% share. It is followed at a distance by Stellantis, which — thanks to strong performances across the board — was up 0.4 percentage point to 13.7%, allowing it to gain significant ground over falling Mercedes-Benz Group (12.2%, down 1.1 points).
BMW Group is 4th, with 12%, while the #5 Hyundai–Kia collab (10%, down 0.2 point) is still safe from a rising Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, in 6th with 8.6% share.
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