BMW Plug-Ins Shine In Germany — September EV Sales Report
The German plug-in electric passenger car market was down 12% in September, to 4,626 registrations, with PHEVs stumbling 24% year over year (YoY). This was no doubt due to the pre-WLTP summer sales rush. Nonetheless, fully electric cars (BEVs) kept on growing (+5%), allowing full electrics to sell at the same level as PHEVs.
Year to date, pure electric cars are still 1,000 units below PHEVs, with BEVs holding 0.9% share of the broader auto market and plug-in hybrids remaining stable at 1% — which means the total PEV share is stable at 1.9%.
Looking at the fuels mix, diesel was down 44%, representing 29% of the total market, while gasoline (-25%) dropped less than the total market (-31%). The case was worse for LPG (-48%) and CNG (-51%), also hit heavily by the new fuel economy rules.
Looking at September’s best sellers, BMW had another good month, placing two models on the podium. The hot selling 225xe Active Tourer stayed on top, with 752 deliveries, landing its fourth record performance in a row. Who said family-friendly MPVs weren’t hip anymore? Now, imagine if it had decent electric range…
The VW e-Golf was second, thanks to 432 deliveries, while the BMW i3 was third, with 420 registrations.
But the surprise of the month was the revised Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, with 346 deliveries (best result in 18 months) making it #4 plug-in vehicle last month and giving the model its first top 5 presence in over a year. Will we see it here more often?
| Position | Model | September Sales |
| 1 | BMW 225xe A. Tourer | 752 |
| 2 | VW e-Golf | 432 |
| 3 | BMW i3 | 420 |
| 4 | Mit. Outlander PHEV | 346 |
| 5 | Renault Zoe | 328 |
Over the years, the German PEV market has become known for its changes and surprises, and September had a number of interesting developments. The main news was the continuous rise and rise of the BMW 225xe Active Tourer, now in #4, surpassing the Smart Fortwo ED and the Kia Soul EV in just one month.
The BMW nameplate is now just 236 units below leader Renault Zoe, so we might see the German MPV reach the leadership position already next month, which would be a first for the hot selling nameplate.
Other changes were the #8 Smart Forfour ED surpassing the VW Golf GTE and the Nissan Leaf climbing one position, to #12, thanks to its best result in the last 5 months — 275 registrations. With the #10 Audi A3 e-Tron only 109 units ahead, the Japanese hatchback is now running for a top 10 position.
The Mercedes GLC350e rose to #14, while the BMW 530e was also up one position to #17, thanks to a personal best result of 228 registrations, underlining the good momentum of the BMW lineup.
There is a new model in the top 20, with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV showing up in #16, but below this ranking, there is a rising star preparing to shine in 2019. The Hyundai Kona EV had its first full delivery month in September and score 91 registrations.
| Position | Model | September | YTD | PEV Market Share YTD |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 328 | 3,760 | 8% |
| 2 | BMW i3 | 420 | 3,703 | 7% |
| 3 | VW e-Golf | 432 | 3,572 | 7% |
| 4 | BMW 225xe Active Tourer | 752 | 3,524 | 7% |
| 5 | Smart Fortwo ED | 264 | 3,318 | 7% |
| 6 | Kia Soul EV | 120 | 2,906 | 6% |
| 7 | VW Passat GTE | 41 | 2,065 | 4% |
| 8 | Smart Forfour ED | 74 | 1,928 | 4% |
| 9 | VW Golf GTE | 7 | 1,927 | 4% |
| 10 | Audi A3 e-Tron | 31 | 1,612 | 3% |
| 11 | Mercedes E350e | 18 | 1,604 | 3% |
| 12 | Nissan Leaf | 275 | 1,503 | 3% |
| 13 | Porsche Panamera PHEV | 35 | 1,431 | 3% |
| 14 | Mercedes GLC350e | 141 | 1,293 | 3% |
| 15 | Kia Niro PHEV | 60 | 1,226 | 2% |
| 16 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 346 | 1,202 | 2% |
| 17 | BMW 530e | 228 | 1,113 | 2% |
| 18 | Tesla Model S | 104 | 1,058 | 2% |
| 19 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 110 | 1,032 | 2% |
| 20 | Mini Countryman PHEV | 147 | 1,026 | 2% |
| + | Others | 693 | 8,636 | 17% |
| All | TOTAL | 4,626 | 49,439 | 100% |
In the brand ranking, BMW (18%) is in the leadership position, ahead of #2 Volkswagen (16%) and #3 Smart (11%). The top three have the competition (Mercedes, Renault, and Kia, all with 8%) further behind.
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