18% Plugin Vehicle Share in Germany in October — Record Month!

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The German plugin vehicle market had yet another record month in October, with a little of over 48,000 units registered, and this time it was full electrics (BEVs) driving the market forward, up 365%(!) to 23,158 units. They helped plugin vehicles as a whole jump an amazing 303% last month, with the plugin vehicle share reaching a record 18% (8.4% BEV). That pulled the yearly tally to 11% (5.3% BEV). So, this market is now firmly in the two-digit area, also known as … The Disruption Zone.

And in a (sort of) stable overall market (-4% YoY), petrol (-30%) and diesel (-19%) continue falling, to the benefit of electricity, leaving fossil fuels as deadweights on the shoulders of legacy OEMs.

Looking at last month’s best sellers, in October, the Renault Zoe once again broke all records, by getting 5,010 registrations, beating the runner-up Volkswagen ID.3, which built on its 1,771 registrations of September to deliver 2,647 units in October. Volkswagen also placed a 2nd model on the podium, as the Passat GTE broke its previous record and got 2,053 registrations, allowing it to reach 3rd place in October.

Below the podium’s top sellers, the Hyundai Kona EV jumped to #4 in October, benefiting from the increased capacity of the Czech plant and scoring a record 1,932 registrations.

In fact, in a record month, best ever performances are plenty. In the September top 20, 15 models had record scores, 7 of them coming from the Volkswagen Group stable (Volkswagen ID.3, Volkswagen Passat GTE, Audi Q5 PHEV, Audi A6 PHEV, Audi e-Tron, Skoda Superb PHEV, and Volkswagen Golf PHEV), highlighting the production ramp-up of the German conglomerate. And this is while the phasing-out Volkswagen e-Golf had 1,300 registrations, an impressive performance when you consider its much improved successor is already on the market.

Outside this top 20, we have several models in ramp-up mode, like the Volvo XC40 PHEV (620 units) and the 710 registrations of the Mini Cooper EV. Meanwhile, the Mercedes GLE350de continues to increase production (655 deliveries) and we welcome the first 72 registrations of the new Volkswagen ID.4 SUV, no doubt the first of many.

Regarding the 2020 table, the podium positions remained the same, with the leader, the Zoe, probably having the 2020 title secured — because the 6,830 unit advantage over the #2 Volkswagen e-Golf and the 10,383 unit advantage over the #3 Tesla Model 3 now seem impossible to overcome.

The first position change happened in #5, with the Hyundai Kona EV rising one spot, followed by the Mercedes E300e/de, which was up to #7.

Speaking of Mercedes, the three-pointed-star automaker had another model climbing onto the table, with the GLC300e/de rising to #16 while its Daimler Group cousin, the Smart Fortwo EV, joined the top 10, in #8. (Now, imagine if the tiny two-seater had decent range. …)

Below the tiny hatchback, we have two Audis on the rise, with the e-tron rising to #10 while the Q5 PHEV was up to #12.

Highlighting the good moment of the Volkswagen Group, the Volkswagen ID.3 joined the table in #18, with Volkswagen’s new baby looking to reach a top 10 position by year end. Meanwhile, in the BMW stable, the future classic i3 climbed one position, to #14.

In the brand ranking, the Volkswagen lead (14%, down 1 point) is now being threatened by the rising share of Mercedes (14%), thanks to a strong (and long) PHEV lineup. Although, ID.3 (and upcoming ID.4) volume deliveries are coming right on time for the Wolfsburg brand.

#3 Audi (10%) remains stable, while off the podium, Renault (8%) is staying ahead of BMW (7%).

On a final note, the Volkswagen Group’s total share is stable at 30% (VW — 14%; Audi — 10%, Skoda — 4%; Porsche — 2%), above the rising Daimler Group, which has 18% market share.