Kia Niro EV & Ford Mustang Mach-E Shine In Netherlands In July — Sales Report

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The Dutch plugin vehicle (PEV) market continues in the fast lane, with 6,703 plugin registrations logged last month. That meant that last month’s PEV share of the overall passenger auto market was 25% (16% BEV), pulling the year-to-date PEV share to 21% (11% BEV) and the total tally to 38,787 units. The market share is still down compared to last year’s result (25%), but I expect that won’t be for long, as the market share should be growing throughout the year, and maybe surpassing last year’s result by November.

Breaking down registrations between each plugin powertrain, BEVs are returning to form, getting 63% of July’s registrations. That allowed pure electrics to gain a bit more ground on plugin hybrids in the year-to-date tally (52% vs. 48%). Expect pure electrics to continue recovering ground throughout the year.

In July, the plugin sales leader was the Kia Niro EV, with 762 registrations, placing it in #2 in the overall market. However, the highlight this month was the runner-up Ford Mustang Mach-E. Thanks to 644 registrations, its third record score in a row, it was not only the silver medalist in July’s plugin market, but also 5th in the overall market. This is an amazing performance, especially considering that the 2nd best selling Ford model in the Netherlands last month was the Ford Puma, a small crossover that was in a measly 24th position in the overall market.

The Skoda Enyaq completed the plugin podium, with 470 registrations, which allowed it to be #10 in the overall market. That made it 3 BEV models in the overall Dutch top 10!

“But these are small volumes — there are dealers in New Jersey that sell more,” some might say.

Fair enough. Compared to what China pumps out every month (some 200,000 units per month), this is a small-volume market, but what’s interesting in the Dutch market is that not only do BEVs have a large plugin market share (after all, not many markets can say they have 3 BEV models in the overall top 10), but it also has the most developed charging infrastructure in Europe. We all know how critical that is for any market to have a quick transition to EVs. This market, along with Norway, is a sort of preview of the future, where not only are EVs a common sight, but charging isn’t a drama either.

Anyways, back to July’s sales data. The #4 Volvo XC40 PHEV continued to be the best selling PHEV, and its Chinese post-modern cousin, the Lynk & Co 01 PHEV, was #8 last month, with a record 173 units. The Lynk & Co 01 PHEV could actually become a threat to its Scandinavian relative soon in the monthly plugin hybrid race. To be continued …

… Speaking of plugin hybrids, in July we only have 4 PHEV representatives in the top 20, which says a lot about the changing tides, and expect this number to become even smaller when we get closer to the end of the year.

In the second half of the table, we have a few surprises, like the #14 ranking of the fresh Hyundai Ioniq 5, with a record 96 registrations in only its 2nd month on the market. In #20, we have the 3rd crossover coming from the Volkswagen MEB family joining the ranking, with the Audi Q4 e-tron scoring 77 deliveries in its second month.

Another surprise in the lower half of the table is the prevalence of Stellantis models, with 5 models in the 11–20 spots. That included 2 Peugeots (208 EV and 2008 EV), 3 Opels (!), and the small Corsa EV in #19. The Corsa’s crossover (and tasteful) sibling, the Mokka EV, was in #17, with a record 86 units, while the Zafira Live EV minivan showed up in #18. Once again, while Stellantis lacks a star player* that can top the charts, it makes up for that with a strong lineup of team players that combine to make Stellantis a force to be reckoned with. (*Well … it might have just found one, and coming unexpectedly from the muddy banks of the Maumee river. But more on that at the end of the month in our global plugin vehicle sales report.)

Outside the top 20, July saw the Mini Cooper EV score 67 units and the Polestar 2 deliver 60 units, so we might see both the British hot hatch and the Swedish sports sedan return to the table soon.

Looking at the 2021 ranking, while in the previous report we saw a stable French market, here there is much to talk about. The Kia Niro EV switched places with the Volvo XC40 PHEV, allowing the Korean model not only to climb to the runner-up spot, but also put some pressure on the leader, the Skoda Enyaq. Last month, we saw another chapter of the rise and rise of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, with the electric pony jumping two positions in July, to 4th, surpassing its Kuga PHEV sibling. With the deliveries ramp-up of the popular Ford model still ongoing, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw it compete for the best seller title with the Skoda Enyaq and Kia Niro EV soon.

A couple positions down the table, the Volvo XC40 EV was up to #7. As a result, all top 7 positions belonged to crossovers and SUVs, and in #10 we have another SUV shining, with the BMW X5 PHEV barge climbing to #10.

In the second half of the table, a mention goes out to the veteran Nissan Leaf, jumping two positions to #13 (where art thou, VW ID.3?…). Meanwhile, the Peugeot e-208 moved up one spot, to #16.

Interestingly, the new face in the top 20 is also coming from Peugeot, with the 2008 EV crossover showing up in #17, increasing the number of BEVs in the table to 12. And a few more pure electric models could join soon, as the #21 Polestar 2 (503 units) or the #22 Mercedes EQA (496) are literally just a few units away from joining the table. They could also increase the number of pure electrics in the top 20.

In the manufacturer ranking, Volvo (12%, down 1 percentage point) is still the #1 brand, but it suffered another blow last month, as its PHEV sales are suffering due to the new BEV tide. BMW (11%) hung on to #2, but its over-reliance on PHEVs might mean it won’t wear silver for long.

A rising #3 Ford (9%, up 1 point) is trying to catch up to the top two, but so are rising #4 Skoda (8%, up 1 point) and #5 Kia (7%, up 1 point), both looking to reach the podium.

As for OEMs, Volkswagen Group (21%, up 1 point) gained a little more of a lead over #2 Geely–Volvo (14%). #3 BMW Group (12%), #4 Stellantis (11%), and #5 Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance (11%) remain stable, but Hyundai–Kia is closing in, now only 2 points behind the Munich-based group. So, we might see the Koreans reach a medal positions soon.