Tesla Reduces Model 3 Prices In Europe, VW Misses EU Emissions Target

The price of a new Tesla in Europe varies by country. What customers pay depends not only on the sticker price but national and local EV incentives as well. Yesterday, Tesla posted new prices for the Model 3 in Germany, France, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and the Netherlands. While the reductions are not uniform in all countries, they average around 8%. Below is a screenshot of Tesla’s European website showing the new pricing details.

Source: Tesla via Inside EVs  

According to Teslarati, the price reductions in Germany, which has a €9,000 EV incentive, and France, which has a €7,000 EV incentive, are as follows:

Germany:

Standard Range Plus RWD: €3,000 — from €42,990 to €39,990
Long Range AWD: €2,500 — from €52,490 to €49,990
Long Range Performance AWD: €3,500 — from €58,490 to €54,990

France

Standard Range Plus RWD: €6,190 — from €49,990 to €43,800
Long Range AWD: €2,500 — from €52,490 to €49,990
Long Range Performance AWD: €3,500 — from €58,490 to €54,990

Tesla no longer talks to the press and has dismantled its public relations team, so figuring out why these price reductions occurred is a matter of pure speculation. The guess over at Inside EVs is that the price drop is designed to keep the price of the Model 3 competitive in a marketplace that is seeing a number of new electric car models come available and to offset what some see as a modest softening in demand for the Model 3. Fluctuations in exchange rates could also be a factor.

On the other hand, Tesla may have been able to reduce its manufacturing costs recently and is passing the savings on to its customers, but if so, wouldn’t prices in North America also decline? It is impossible to plumb the depths of what the company is thinking as it steadfastly refuses to respond to any and all requests for comment from the media.

Volkswagen Group Misses EU Emissions Target

Volkswagen Group delivered 315,400 plug-in and battery electric cars in Europe, Norway, Iceland, and the UK last year — a nearly four fold increase over the prior year. Overall, it reduced the average emissions of its new vehicle fleet in the EU by 20% but still missed the current EU emissions guidelines by about a half a gram per kilometer, which may cost the company as much as €100 million in penalties imposed by European authorities.

Courtesy of Volkswagen Group

In a press release, CEO Herbert Diess said, “We are making good progress on the road to becoming a CO2-neutral company. We significantly reduced the CO2 emissions of our new vehicle fleet in the EU. The Volkswagen and Audi brands in particular have made a major contribution to achieving this with their e-offensive. We narrowly missed the fleet target for 2020, thwarted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Audi, CUPRA and ŠKODA are now bringing out further attractive electric models. This will allow us to achieve our fleet target this year.”

Rebecca Harms, member of the independent Volkswagen Sustainability Council adds, “Despite very ambitious efforts in electrification, it has not been possible to meet the set fleet target in full. But Volkswagen is clearly well on its way. Work has to continue systematically to bring about the drive transformation and meet climate and sustainability targets. The key to success will be to give a greater role to smaller, efficient and affordable models in the electrification rollout.”

At the present time, Volkswagen Group has about a 25% market share in Europe in the electric car segment and is ramping up production aggressively. It says any fines have already been accounted for and will not effect corporate profitability in the coming fiscal year.