Hybrids hit new high in German new-car market
06 December 2024
The German new-car market remained stable in November, with a record result for hybrids. Tom Hooker, Autovista24 journalist, analyses the figures.
A total of 244,544 new cars took to Germany’s roads in November, a drop of just 0.5% year-on-year. This equated to a loss of around 1,100 units. Yet, it was the market’s biggest registrations total since June, according to the KBA.
This slight decline was the market’s sixth of the year. Compared to the rest of 2024, this could be considered a month of stability. It is the least severe decline of the year, with the next smallest drop, of 2.1%, recorded in July.
Deliveries are down 0.4% in the year to date, with over 2.59 million units. This gap of over 10,000 registrations could be closed in December, if the market sees a strong performance, bringing the 2024 total into growth.
However, this is a considerable challenge, as Germany has not seen two consecutive months of growth since January and February. Additionally, political and economic uncertainty is impacting registration figures.
‘Currently, purchasing behaviour is strongly influenced by the challenging economic situation with the threat of job losses,’ commented Thomas Peckruhn, ZDK Vice President and spokesman for the manufacturer trade in Germany. ‘Customers are reluctant to buy a new car and continue to drive their current car.’
Hybrids hoist registrations
Hybrids, made up of full and mild hybrid powertrains, reached their highest-ever delivery total last month, with 73,950 registrations. This was around 1,400 units ahead of the technology’s previous record, set in June. It was also a 22.3% improvement on its result from 12 months ago, marking hybrids fourth month of over 20% growth in 2024.
The powertrain held up the German new-car market in November. Removing hybrids from the overall monthly total, deliveries would have fallen by 7.9%.
The technology accounted for a record 30.2% of registrations last month, breaking the 30% threshold for the first time. This performance was 1.2 percentage points (pp) ahead of its previous best in September, and was up 5.6pp year on year.
The powertrain sat just 1.4pp away from petrol, which retained its market leading status. This is the smallest this gap has ever been, considerably closer than its 3.1pp difference back in September.
Hybrids recorded an improvement of 12.5% from January to November, with 684,923 registrations. It remains the only powertrain to enjoy double-digit growth in the year to date.
They also captured 26.4% of the market in the first 11 months of the year, compared to a 23.4% share during the same period in 2023. This was the biggest YTD share gain of any powertrain.
BEV slump continues
While hybrids soared, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) struggled. The all-electric technology endured its ninth monthly decline of 2024, with a slump of 21.8%. This equated to a total of 35,167 deliveries, a loss of nearly 10,000 units compared to 12 months ago.
It was also the seventh double-digit drop for BEVs so far this year, despite it being the technology’s third-highest volume total of 2024. Removing the powertrain from November’s overall figures, the market would have recorded growth of 4.3%.
BEVs made up 14.4% of registrations last month, some distance behind its 18.3% share in November 2023.
Across the first 11 months of the year, BEVs plummeted 26.1%, with 347,048 deliveries. This equated to a loss of over 122,000 units, comfortably making it the worst-performing drivetrain so far in 2024. Excluding BEVs from the overall year-to-date total, the German new-car market would have improved by 5.3% in the same period.
The technology took a 13.4% market share from January to November, down 4.6pp on its position in 2023. It is the only powertrain to lose share in the year to date.
Positive signals needed
‘The crash in BEVs shows that we urgently need positive political signals here [in Germany] to get e-mobility back on track. The price of charging electricity has to come down, and we need many more fast chargers in public spaces that are easy for drivers to reach,’ highlighted Peckruhn.
This year’s BEV struggles are also raising alarm bells for other industry experts. ‘The massive slump in battery-electric vehicles is particularly striking. This development is not unexpected and is due to the sudden end of funding in December 2023,’ explained André Schmidt, former VDIK president.
With new, stricter CO2 limits coming into force in the EU next year, carmakers could face large penalties if BEV demand is unable to improve.
‘Our member companies will make every effort to achieve the CO2 targets, even though the targets cannot currently be derived from customer demand,’ said newly elected VDIK president Imelda Labbé.
‘The VDIK therefore calls on the EU Commission to follow this issue closely and to prevent the automotive industry from being burdened with fines. Penalties would lead to a further restriction of investments in the automotive transformation. This must be prevented with all our might,’ she continued.
Double-digit PHEV growth
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were the only other powertrain to manage growth in November. The drivetrain increased volumes by 13.7% last month, with 20,604 registrations. This was its largest monthly total so far in 2024 and sat almost 2,500 units ahead of figures from 12 months ago.
November marked the second consecutive month of double-digit growth for PHEVs, the first time this has occurred since January and February. The technology captured 8.4% of the new-car market, a 1pp improvement on its share from one year ago.
In the year to date, PHEVs grew by 9.5%, reaching 172,802 deliveries. This means double-digit growth for the full year is possible if it has a strong December. Its current total was just under 15,000 units higher than the same period in 2023. PHEVs made up 6.7% of registrations in the first 11 months of the year, up 0.6pp.
EVs fall behind
Combining BEV and PHEV volumes, the electric vehicle (EV) market fell by 11.6% in November, with 55,771 deliveries. Yet, this was its second-highest delivery total so far this year, only behind June. Plug-ins took a 22.8% share last month, some distance below its 25.7% market hold from one year ago.
From January to November, EVs declined by 17.1%, with 519,850 registrations. This gave plug-in models a 20.1% share, down 4pp year on year.
Adding hybrids to the EV total, the electrified market achieved a 53% share in November, an increase of 2.7pp from 12 months ago. The powertrain grouping accounted for 46.5% of deliveries in the year to date, behind its 47.5% share during the same period in 2023.
Petrol loses share
Petrol volumes declined in November, down 5.4% with 77,352 registrations. This was a difference of over 4,000 units compared to one year ago.
The drivetrain’s share of 31.6% was itslowest so far this year, and it has been in decline for the last two months. This result was also 1.7pp below its share from November 2023.
From January to November, volumes decreased by 2.1%, with 922,615 deliveries. This was a gap of almost 19,000 units compared to the same period last year. However, it took a 35.6% market share in the first 11 months of the year, ahead of its 34.7% share from one year ago.
Disappointing diesel result
With 36,510 registrations, diesel dropped by 7.5% in November. This was a difference of just under 3,000 units compared to the same period in 2023. The drivetrain took a 14.9% share in the month, its joint-lowest performance this year with September. It also was a decline of 1.2pp year on year.
In the year to date, diesel deliveries were up by just 0.7%, with 452,230 units. With a gap of around 3,000 registrations on last year’s total, another poor month in December could put the powertrain into the negative. It captured 17.4% of the market in the first 11 months of 2024, up 0.1pp.
Poor ICE performance
Combining petrol and diesel figures, the internal combustion engine (ICE) market declined by 6.1% in November, with 113,862 deliveries. This gave the grouping a market share of 46.6%, its smallest so far this year and 2.7pp down on November 2023. This marks the third consecutive month of share decreases.
In the year to date, ICE volumes increased by 1.6%, with over 1.37 million registrations. The powertrain grouping has a much higher share in the first 11 months of the year of 53%. This was up 1pp from the same period in 2023.
The ‘others’ category, including hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles, natural gas and liquified petroleum gas vehicles, E85/ethanol and other fuels, dropped by 0.7% in November to 961 deliveries. However, this was only a loss of seven units compared to 12 months ago. The category took a 0.4% share in November, stable year on year.
From January to November, the powertrain grouping is down 3.7% with 12,992 registrations. This equated to a loss of around 500 units. Yet, its share of 0.5% in this period is stable from the first 11 months of last year.
