Unlike many other European countries, Switzerland has no national incentive programs for electric cars, although some cantons within the country do. Nevertheless, EVs captured 13.4% of the Swiss new vehicle market in September. So far this year, Tesla has accounted for a third of those battery electric vehicle sales and here’s something surprising. In September, the Tesla Model 3 was the best selling car in the nation, beating every other vehicle, including those powered by gasoline or diesel engines. Citing a report by the Swiss Automobile Association, Tesmanian says, Tesla sold 1,144 cars in September, of which 900 were Model 3s. The conventionally powered Skoda Octavia — a perennial sales leader in Switzerland — managed only 500 sales.
Tesla Model 3 Is September's Top Selling Car of All Vehicles in Switzerland 🇨🇭, 2X of Runner Up
Yes, all vehicles including ICE.https://t.co/e5DvZpBjhg
— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) October 5, 2020
This shouldn’t be surprising. The Swiss are fastidious when it comes to cleanliness. With electric cars trailing no pollutants in their wake, it is little wonder the Swiss prefer them to cars with infernal combustion engines. A few years ago, a French friend of mine met me at the airport in Geneva. On our drive back to France, he stopped at a public restroom along the way to show me how clean it was. It was spotless. A few kilometers later on the French side of the border, we stopped at another public restroom. The difference was noticeable.
As we reported in June, electric cars are becoming more and more popular in Switzerland. Then, EV sales were 10% of the new car market. Now they are 13.4%. You can look at that two ways. The total number of EVs sold is still small but the from June to September, EV sales showed a 30% increase. The trend is definitely up and seems to be accelerating. Once Tesla’s new factory in Germany starts producing cars next year, beginning with the popular Model Y SUV, we can expect its impact on new car sales in Switzerland to ramp up even faster.
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