The German plug-in passenger car market was up 17% to 6,767 registrations in January, with a seismic change happening in the fuels mix. Fully electric cars (BEVs) jumped up (+68% year over year), while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) continued sinking (-26%). That allowed full electrics to outsell plug-in hybrids by a large margin (69% share for BEVs).
With a stagnating mainstream car market (-1% year over year), the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) share climbed to 2.6% in November, with BEVs alone hitting 1.8%.
Looking January’s best sellers, you can see the good moment of all-electric models, with 8 BEVs in the top 10. The fully electric Renault Zoe led the way, with 799 registrations, closely followed by the fully electric VW e-Golf (746) and the fully electric BMW i3 (703). The Bimmer hot hatch scored its best monthly result ever in its 5 year career. I guess the formula larger battery = higher sales got proven once again. [Editor’s note: Maybe I just need to chill.]
But the big surprise (or not so big surprise) of the month was the Audi e-tron, which started the year in the 4th spot with 407 registrations, a great result, especially considering official customer deliveries are only set to start in February. Expect these numbers to grow in the near future. Will we see the Audi SUV in a podium position soon?
One thing is certain — 2019 will see another close race for the leadership position, with the 2018 trophy winner, the Renault Zoe, having to defend its title against the BMW i3, Tesla Model 3, and Audi e-tron (maybe). Additionally, Volkswagen could surprise us with higher than expected deliveries of the e-Golf/ID duo.
Below the top positions, the Hyundai Kona EV continues to ramp up deliveries, registering a record 291 units, while the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was by far the best selling plug-in hybrid, thanks to 360 deliveries.
Besides the Kona EV, the other Korean models also had a positive month, with 6(!) models in the top 20. Volvo SUVs are also on the up in 2019, with the smaller XC60 PHEV delivering a record 126 units and the full-blown vessel XC90 PHEV registering 84 units, its best result in 2 years.
In the brand ranking, BMW (17%) is in the leadership, while Renault and Volkswagen are racing for the runner-up place, both with 12% share, comfortably ahead of #4 Hyundai (9%).
| Rank | Germany | January | YTD | PEV Share |
| 1 | Renault Zoe | 799 | 799 | 12% |
| 2 | VW e-Golf | 746 | 746 | 11% |
| 3 | BMW i3 | 703 | 703 | 10% |
| 4 | Audi e-tron | 407 | 407 | 6% |
| 5 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 360 | 360 | 5% |
| 6 | Kia Soul EV | 302 | 302 | 4% |
| 7 | Hyundai Kona EV | 291 | 291 | 4% |
| 8 | Nissan Leaf | 288 | 288 | 4% |
| 9 | Smart Fortwo ED | 264 | 264 | 4% |
| 10 | Mini Countryman PHEV | 235 | 235 | 3% |
| 11 | BMW 530e | 228 | 228 | 3% |
| 12 | BMW 225xe Active Tourer | 204 | 204 | 3% |
| 13 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 203 | 203 | 3% |
| 14 | Smart Forfour ED | 145 | 145 | 2% |
| 15 | Hyundai Ioniq PHEV | 140 | 140 | 2% |
| 16 | Kia Niro PHEV | 133 | 133 | 2% |
| 17 | Volvo XC60 PHEV | 126 | 126 | 2% |
| 18 | Kia Niro EV | 103 | 103 | 2% |
| 19 | Tesla Model S | 91 | 91 | 1% |
| 20 | Volvo XC90 PHEV | 84 | 84 | 1% |
| + | Others | 915 | 915 | 14% |
| ALL | TOTAL | 6,767 | 6,767 | 100% |
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