The German plug-in vehicle market saw more than 50,000 registrations last month, with both basic plug-in vehicle powertrains increasing rapidly – + 413% for BEVs and + 380% for PHEVs year on year. the other (year-on-year). Last month’s share of plugins vehicles ended at 22% (10% BEV), in line with the annual tally of 22% (10% BEV). This market is firmly in The disturbance zone.
Looking at last month’s best sellers, Volkswagen is leading the way, taking both 1st and 2nd place. the ID.4 e-Up and ID.3 took the first places. That’s right, the little e-Up won its third consecutive victory, a surprising performance for the veteran model. The e-Up was supposed to have a limited lifespan, but due to an unexpected turn of events (the ID.3 is not selling as well as expected …), the e-Up is now Volkswagen’s bread and butter model in its domestic market. Now if only they could sell them for a profit. …
In third place we have another surprise, with the Mercedes GLC PHEV jumping to third place, becoming the best-selling PHEV last month. It had 300 units ahead of the Mercedes A250e and over 400 above the Volkswagen Golf PHEV. Is the three-star SUV gearing up to roll with the Volkswagen sedan for the title of the most popular plug-in hybrid in 2021?
Under the podium, 4th place went to the Smart Fortwo EV – which, despite its wrinkles, still sells in large numbers. Thus, the Smart Fortwo EV remains ahead of models like the Hyundai Kona EV (the best-selling foreigner in April) and the new Volkswagen ID.4, which rose to 6th place last month thanks to (still disappointing) 1446 units.
Interestingly, of the top 8 models, only two are PHEVs, which would suggest that BEVs are more sold than plug-in hybrids. However, this was not the case, as PHEVs made up 53% of plugin registrations in the country in April. Again, the reason is the wider choice among PHEVs. On the purely electric side, sales are more concentrated on a small number of models.
In the second half of the table, a reference goes to the Opel Corsa-e jumping in No.12, and its platform partner Stellantis, the Peugeot e-208, joining the table at No.20 thanks to a record 806 deliveries, a small feat for the French brand which seems to benefit from the slowdown in sales of the Renault Zoe (or to be at the origin of it).
But the highlight of the last places in the table was the Skoda Enyaq, which immediately lands in 19th place with 845 deliveries, a promising sign for the Czech EV, which should reach the top half of the table in the coming months.
Apart from that top 20, mention goes to another MEB-based model, with the Audi Q4 e-tron delivering its first 130 units. Also in the Volkswagen group’s galaxy, the Cupra Formentor PHEV sports crossover continues to gain momentum, with a record 443 registrations in April.
Oh, and a final word on the first Toyota BEV deliveries to Germany. No, it’s not the bZ4X yet (why, oh why, haven’t they created a simpler codename?), But the Proace Verso EV, a Toyota badge version of the popular Stellantis Group midsize van. elsewhere under the name of the Citroen e-Spacetourer, the Peugeot e-Traveler or the Opel Zafira Life EV. “They must have started somewhere, so they started… there.
Hopefully, these are the first in a long series, and it won’t take forever for Toyota to create a full line of EVs – and not just what the company can buy from Stellantis. (Toyota buys technology from Stellantis… makes you wonder, doesn’t it?)
Regarding the 2021 table, the small Volkswagen e-Up has gained ground on the competition. Thus, the small EV is currently the favorite for the Best Seller trophy (assuming Volkswagen is not limiting production…). Behind it, the Volkswagen ID.3, the Hyundai Kona EV and the Volkswagen Golf PHEV have all benefited from the Tesla Model 3 out of month and climbed one position each, which they will likely lose again in the next few months.
Another model on the rise is the Smart Fortwo EV, which moves up to 6th place at the expense of the Volkswagen Passat PHEV, in 7th.
In the second half of the picture, there is more to say. BMW has had a good month, with the mid-size 3 Series PHEV and the small i3 both climbing one spot to # 11 and # 13 respectively.
But the climber of the month was the Mercedes A250e, jumping from 4 positions to 12th, and the compact Mercedes could soon reach a position in the top 10.
The Opel Corsa-e is back in the rankings, now in # 17, and the BEV team is expected to increase over the next few months as the Volkswagen ID.4 and Peugeot e-208 are within 300 units of the # 20 Skoda Octavia PHEV.
In the ranking of brands, Volkswagen (18%) clearly leads its domestic market, followed by Mercedes (10%, down 1 percentage point) and BMW (9%), while the 4th Audi (7% ) is not too far.
Further behind, Hyundai and Renault, both with a 5% share, seem unable to threaten the hold of local heroes in the German plug-in market.
