The Dutch automotive market is out of its pandemic-related disruption, having reached positive numbers in July (+4% year over year/YoY), but while the overall market has finally recovered, the plugin segment is officially in Warp Speed (up 139% last month). Overall, 5,685 plugin vehicles were sold in July, a new year best, pulling the YTD tally back into positive numbers (+15% YoY), thanks to over 25,000 registrations.
This means that the plugin vehicle (PEV) share continued to rise, with 16% share (11% fully electric/BEV) in July, pulling the 2020 PEV share to 13% (10% BEV), well above last year’s result (6%).
Interestingly, it is the plugin hybrid (PHEV) category that is pulling the plugin train upwards the most, having jumped 5-fold(!) in July, to 1,815 units, its best result since December 2016, while BEVs grew just 83% last month. …
Looking at last month’s best sellers, we saw an interesting race. The Kia Niro EV won last month’s trophy, beating its personal best on the way with a record score of 644 deliveries. In 2nd place we have a surprise — the MG ZS EV won silver, thanks to a year best score of 501 units. In 3rd we also have a kind of surprise, with the VW e-Golf scoring 488 units, a new year best and an amazing performance for a model said to have just a couple more months to live.
Off the podium, the Volvo XC40 PHEV ended the month in 4th, with a record 402 units, making it once again the best selling PHEV on the market. The Swedish SUV has proven its popularity in the Netherlands, which is a good sign for the future XC40 BEV.
In 5th place we have the Hyundai Kona EV, with 363 registrations, a new year best, which means that the Czech-made units of the Korean crossover are helping it to reach large volumes. Expect the Hyundai model to continue to be a familiar face in the top 5.
Looking at the 2020 ranking, the big news is the Kia Niro EV replacing the Tesla Model 3 in the leadership position, with the sports sedan possibly only recovering the top spot in September.
After September, it’s anyone’s guess, because by then there will be another big player in the market, the Volkswagen ID.3, so the 4th quarter should see an entertaining race to follow.
Elsewhere, the ranking didn’t change much this time. The MG ZS EV shot up to #7, while in the second half of the table, the Audi e-tron jumped 3 positions, to #15, becoming the best selling model in the luxury category. Also, the BMW 330e is back in the top 20 … in #20, thanks to a year best score of 83 registrations.
A mention is also due to the #12 Ford Kuga PHEV, which scored a record 227 registrations, confirming Ford’s plugin model popularity across Europe.
Outside the top 20, the tiny Seat Mii EV scored a record 114 deliveries. If you add the 85 VW e-Up and 191 Skoda Citigo EV, that’s a total of 390 registrations in July for the Bratislava-made triplets. Who said small EVs weren’t a thing?
Another model on the way up is the Opel Corsa EV, which scored a record 138 deliveries, so we could see the Opel electric model reach the top 20 soon.
In the manufacturer ranking, Kia (14%) is the new top dog, distancing itself from a slowing Tesla (11%, down 3 points), which is currently starved of fresh units.
Volkswagen (10%, down 1 point) is 3rd, but #4 Volvo (10%, up 1 point) is closing in and could steal Volkswagen’s podium position next month.
Coming from behind, we have #5 Hyundai (8%), which could strive for a podium seat in the near future.
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