BEV boost to Germany’s new-car market in June
02 August 2023
Germany’s new-car market experienced a positive June, growing 25% year on year. José Pontes, data director at EV-volumes.com, explores how electric vehicles (EVs) are influencing this recovery.
With 52,988 registrations, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) were the highlight of the German new-car market’s continued recovery in June. The 64% year-on-year growth meant all-electric models made up 19% of the overall market.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) experienced the opposite of this trend with 15,930 registrations, a 39% year-on-year decline. Suffering from the end of federal incentives, the powertrain technology saw its overall market share effectively halved compared with a year ago, to sit at just 5.7%.
The chasm between BEVs and PHEVs becomes even more apparent when examining the two technologies under the electric-vehicle (EV) umbrella. BEV models made up 77% of all plug-in sales in June, 3% above this year’s average and far above the 55% share from a year ago.
With EVs accounting for 25% of the new-car market in June, the share in the first half of the year was pulled up to 21%. This means EVs could reach a share between 25% and 30% by the end of 2023.
End of quarter peak
The Tesla Model Y profited from its end-of-quarter peak with 6,098 deliveries, putting it first in the EV table and fourth in Germany’s overall new-car market.
Volkswagen (VW) Group placed six models in the EV sales top 10. All of these models were built on the MEB platform, highlighting the significant dividends the underpinning is giving the carmaker. The fifth place Skoda Enyaq stood out with 1,936 registrations, its best result since September 2021.
The second half of the table saw other models shine, including the BMW iX1, the only model from the brand in the top 20. With 1,157 registrations, the compact crossover was 14th. This is still a significant distance from the success of the BMW i3, which was the best-selling EV in Germany in 2014 and 2016.
Meanwhile, there were only three PHEV models in the top 20, two of which came from Mercedes-Benz. The C-Class PHEV showed up in 11th place, breaking its own monthly record with 1,356 registrations, while the GLC PHEV showed up in 16th.
The MG4 ended the month in 19th, with 928 registrations, highlighting MG’s progression in the German market. The MG5 estate also delivered 466 units in the same period, while the MG ZS EV recorded 477 units making it to customers.
The Polestar 2 made it to 18th place with 950 registrations, while the BMW i4 ended the month in 22nd, just 47 units behind the Swedish model. Not too far off, the new Smart #1 crossover, posted a new record of 899 registrations.
Mercedes-Benz saw some models improve, with the EQB (698 units) and the EQE (650 units) finally starting to enter the competition. More generally, the full-size model market saw a shake-up as the Audi Q8 e-tron (700 units) did not claim the best-seller trophy. Instead, this award went to the Porsche Taycan (837 units). It appears the VW group brand has solved its semiconductor-related supply constraints, which should provide a stronger second half of the year.
Tesla out in front
Between January and June 2023, the Tesla Model Y sat far out in front of its competitors, with double the sales of the second-place VW ID.4. The Tesla crossover saw its sales triple year on year, disrupting not only Germany’s EV market but its mainstream one. Many of the crossover’s sales were made while cannibalising its Model 3 sibling, which is now seventh with 7,287 registrations, meaning deliveries are down 33% year on year.
VW Group played to its strengths, placing four models (the VW ID.3, VW ID.4, Audi Q4 e-Tron, and Skoda Enyaq) into the top six. With surging sales, the MEB-based vehicles doubled their sales year on year. So, while Tesla is making the best use of its single star player, the German OEM is profiting from its strong line-up.
Mercedes-Benz also placed four models in the top 20, including the Smart Fortwo EV. Other German brands were slower out of the blocks. Opel is still struggling, while BMW had just two representatives in the table, including the iX1 in 17th.
In terms of powertrains, there were only two PHEVs in the top 20 between January and June, down from six in the same period last year. This may soon fall to just one, as the BEV-based 21st-place Mercedes-Benz EQB could replace the Mercedes-Benz GLC in the coming months.
VW resists Tesla
In June’s brand ranking, VW (13% share) managed to resist Tesla’s (12.2% share) end-of-quarter peak. Mercedes-Benz remained comfortable in third with an 11.9% share, benefitting from a good balance between BEV and PHEV sales.
Audi (7.4% share) fell one place as BMW (7.4% share) climbed to fourth, although this was with only a small 150-unit advantage over the VW Group subsidiary. A similar market concentration is happening in China, with the five best-selling brands gaining ground over their competitors. This is proven in the widening distance between fifth-place Audi (7.4% share) and the sixth-place Kia (4.7% share).
When ranking OEMs (with brands combined) VW Group has its domestic market well in hand, with a 29.2% share, followed at a distance by Mercedes-Benz (14.7% share), then Tesla (12.2% share).
Stellantis came fourth, with a 10.4% share, with BMW Group (9.5% share) in fifth. Below them, sixth-place Hyundai–Kia (7.3% share) is the only OEM close enough to hope for a top-five presence in the near future.
