After a positive October, the German plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market slipped again in November, down 2% to 6,266 registrations. This is in the midst of a seismic change happening in the fuels mix, with full electrics (BEVs) jumping +41% year over year (YoY) while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) continue sinking (-39%). Full electrics now outsell plug-in hybrids by a decent margin, flipping the script on this market (68% share for BEVs in November).
Because the mainstream market is dropping even faster than plug-ins (it is down -10%), the PEV share actually climbed to 2.3% in November, with BEVs alone hitting 1.6%. For the year to date (YTD), the total PEV share remained stable at 1.9% (1% BEV).
Looking at November best sellers, you can see the good moment for all-electric models, with the Renault Zoe breaking the previous all-time record for a single model (980 units in October ’15 by the Kia Soul EV), with an impressive 1,047 registrations.
The VW e-Golf was second, thanks to a best ever result of 858 deliveries. It seems VW opened the gates for BEV production. The little e-Up!, meanwhile, registered 126 units, the nameplate’s best result since March.
But the surprise of the month was the Nissan Leaf reaching the 5th spot, with 366 deliveries, its best result since March ’15. Will we see it here more often? I bet we will…
| Rank | Model | Sales |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,047 |
| 2 | VW e-Golf | 858 |
| 3 | BMW 225xe Active Tourer | 456 |
| 4 | BMW i3 | 432 |
| 5 | Nissan Leaf | 366 |
The German PEV market is known for close races, as well as the changes and surprises that come with those, and November was no exception. First of all, the 2018 winner is still not clear, but the Renault Zoe and VW e-Golf did become the only two candidates for the 2018 best seller award, as both stepped up the pace last month. It will be a close race for the leadership.
Interestingly, if the e-Golf wins the 2018 trophy, it will be a first for Volkswagen, as so far the best results it had were two third place finishes, one in 2014, with the VW e-Up!, and the second in 2015, with the VW Golf GTE.
The last place on the podium also has an interesting race, with two BMWs (i3 and 225xe) separated by fewer than 100 units, 77 to be precise.
Below the top positions, there were some interesting changes. The Nissan Leaf jumped two positions, to #8, meaning there were 7 BEVs in the top 8 spots. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV also went up two spots, to #11, thanks to 386 registrations, the model’s best result in its 5 year career.
The BMW 530e climbed to #14, and with the now discontinued Mercedes E350e only 90 units ahead, the BMW PHEV is now the favorite to end the year as the best selling luxury plug-in.
Finally, the Hyundai Ioniq Electric rose to #15, thanks to 227 registrations, underlining the good moment that pure electrics are experiencing.
| Rank | Germany | November | YTD | PEV Market Share (January–November) |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 1,047 | 5,416 | 9% |
| 2 | VW e-Golf | 858 | 5,214 | 8% |
| 3 | BMW i3 | 432 | 4,561 | 7% |
| 4 | BMW 225xe Active Tourer | 456 | 4,484 | 7% |
| 5 | Smart Fortwo ED | 296 | 4,016 | 6% |
| 6 | Kia Soul EV | 182 | 3,141 | 5% |
| 7 | Smart Forfour ED | 214 | 2,437 | 4% |
| 8 | Nissan Leaf | 366 | 2,175 | 4% |
| 9 | VW Passat GTE | 45 | 2,123 | 3% |
| 10 | VW Golf GTE | 25 | 1,975 | 3% |
| 11 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 386 | 1,920 | 3% |
| 12 | Audi A3 e-Tron | 20 | 1,653 | 3% |
| 13 | Mercedes E350e | 1,611 | 3% | |
| 14 | BMW 530e | 195 | 1,521 | 2% |
| 15 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 227 | 1,516 | 2% |
| 16 | Porsche Panamera PHEV | 39 | 1,514 | 2% |
| 17 | Mercedes GLC350e | 66 | 1,439 | 2% |
| 18 | Kia Niro PHEV | 49 | 1,319 | 2% |
| 19 | Mini Countryman PHEV | 135 | 1,314 | 2% |
| 20 | Tesla Model S | 81 | 1,185 | 2% |
| + | Others | 1,147 | 11,259 | 18% |
| ALL | TOTAL | 6,266 | 61,793 | 100% |
Outside the top 20, we should mention the 220 registrations of the Audi e-Tron, no doubt demonstration units, but a large number nevertheless, especially considering that full deliveries should only start in February. Will the Big Audi be the 2019 Luxury PEV Best Seller?
Not coincidentally, Tesla Model X deliveries are down 29% YoY, while the Model S is faring even worse, with a sharp 60% drop. Although, in this last case, I think this has more to do with the Model 3’s long shadow than any other upcoming model (read: Porsche Taycan).
In the brand ranking, BMW (18%, down 1%) is in the leadership position, ahead of Volkswagen (16%, down 1%). The #3 Smart (10%, down 1%) is in the last place on the podium, with Renault (9%, up 1%) still trying to reach the bronze medal.
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
