All signs point to a changing of the winds in Germany with regards to plug-in vehicles. Emissions scandal after emissions scandal have raked the confidence of the public in the German auto industry and many have started to take action. Sales number from August show that nearly 2% (1.88% to be exact) of new vehicle sales in Germany were plug-in vehicles, with fully electric vehicles up +137%. That’s a higher percentage share of new vehicle sales than in the United States.
Lineup of Porsches at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany March, 2017. Photo Credit: Kyle Field
The data show that diesel continues to lose share as electric and plug-in vehicle sales rise. The difference in volume is still dramatic, but the EV trend is strongly upward.
- Diesel: 95,636, -13.8%
- Petrol: 148,149, +15%
- Electric: 2,177, +137%
- Plug In: 2,617, +214%
- Electric + Plug In Combined: 4,794 ( 1.88% market share)
The lack of confidence in diesel vehicles is not going away, and as car stories are very popular in the German media, the discussion is going to stay on the radar. As such, it is logical that diesel will continue to lose market share. The other loser in the diesel emissions scandal was the people.
The air quality in big diesel cities continues to suffer. With Europe’s larger percentage of diesel vehicles on the road, the best example of this is perhaps Stuttgart, the birthplace of the diesel engine. Stuttgart is also home to Porsche and Daimler and is the heart of the German auto industry. Ironically enough, it also suffers from the worst particulate emission levels in Germany, known locally as feinstaub or fine dust.
River in Stuttgart, Germany. March 2017. Photo Credit: Kyle Field
As citizens continue to rail against diesel and the emissions scandals that continue to rock the German auto industry, plug-in vehicles are the natural solution, and the sentiment continues to show up in new vehicle sales numbers.
Tesla could not ask for a better time to release the Model 3. Germany has a high average new vehicle purchase price of around €31,000 per car, which makes the Model 3 a very practical alternative at €35,000. Tesla previously announced its intentions to announce the locations of the next 2 to 4 Gigafactories by the end of the year. With Germany’s expertise in automotive, it seems to be a logical choice. Whether an announcement from Tesla will surface at IAA in Frankfurt next week is anyone’s guess, but the prospect of a German Tesla Gigafactory seems extremely logical.
Not only would a German Gigafactory make a ton of business sense, it is sure that it would catalyze action from the German automotive industry once and for all and stimulate the production of more German electric vehicles. Additionally, it would likely help electric models from German automakers get to market much sooner than they would otherwise, by at least 18 months if not more.
Germany Electric Car Registrations |
||||||
| Model | July 2017 | YTD 2017 | July 2016 | YTD 2016 | July Market Share | YTD 2017 Market Share |
| Audi A3 e-tron | 529 | 2,734 | 71 | 867 | 13% | 10% |
| Audi Q7 e-tron | 39 | 427 | 129 | 403 | 1% | 2% |
| BMW 225xe | 265 | 1,891 | 0 | 441 | 6% | 7% |
| BMW 330e | 43 | 367 | 28 | 220 | 1% | 1% |
| BMW 530e | 145 | 470 | 0 | 0 | 3% | 2% |
| BMW i3 | 325 | 2,385 | 134 | 957 | 8% | 9% |
| BMW i8 | 22 | 186 | 23 | 167 | 1% | 1% |
| Hyundai Ioniq | 93 | 427 | 0 | 0 | 2% | 2% |
| Kia Soul EV | 365 | 1,356 | 46 | 338 | 9% | 5% |
| Mercedes B250e | 41 | 457 | 22 | 219 | 1% | 2% |
| Mercedes C350e (est.) | 99 | 683 | 40 | 434 | 2% | 3% |
| Mercedes E350e | 59 | 439 | 0 | 0 | 1% | 2% |
| Mercedes GLC350e | 138 | 830 | 25 | 57 | 3% | 3% |
| Mercedes GLE500e | 26 | 236 | 14 | 181 | 1% | 1% |
| MINI Countryman PHEV | 42 | 171 | 0 | 0 | 1% | 1% |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 82 | 1,488 | 87 | 643 | 2% | 6% |
| Nissan Leaf | 44 | 565 | 42 | 689 | 1% | 2% |
| Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid | 23 | 195 | 24 | 190 | 1% | 1% |
| Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid | 117 | 383 | 7 | 90 | 3% | 1% |
| Peugeot iOn | 18 | 190 | 16 | 55 | 0% | 1% |
| Renault Zoe | 413 | 2,842 | 301 | 1,580 | 10% | 11% |
| Smart Electric Drive | 134 | 409 | 3 | 67 | 3% | 2% |
| Tesla Model S | 102 | 1,365 | 80 | 838 | 2% | 5% |
| Tesla Model X | 78 | 710 | 9 | 29 | 2% | 3% |
| Volvo XC90 T8 | 33 | 309 | 51 | 454 | 1% | 1% |
| Volvo V60 T8 | 59 | 269 | 59 | 124 | 1% | 1% |
| VW e-Golf | 113 | 645 | 136 | 494 | 3% | 2% |
| VW e-Up! | 90 | 658 | 37 | 303 | 2% | 3% |
| VW Golf GTE | 135 | 771 | 93 | 813 | 3% | 3% |
| VW Passat GTE | 164 | 988 | 109 | 766 | 4% | 4% |
| Others | 355 | 1,390 | 220 | 989 | 8% | 5% |
| Total | 4,191 | 26,236 | 1,806 | 12,408 | 100% | 100% |
Article adapted from our friends at The Beam in Berlin.
Sales data for charts via José Pontes.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine
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