After a good January, February increased plugin registrations by 59% YoY, to 10,310 units, with the Dutch plugin vehicle (PEV) market reaching 37% last month. That’s mostly thanks to pure electrics (23% of new vehicle sales), which jumped 67% year over year (YoY). The overall market is also rising, to 28,128 units, although at a slower rate (+24% YoY).
In February, the Lynk & Co 01 PHEV repeated its January win, with the record 1,098 registrations made last month allowing it to be #1 in the overall ranking in February and for the year to date. This is no small feat, as it is the first time that the Chinese crossover reaches the leadership position in the overall market in any European market.
The Chinese model was followed this time by the #2 Volvo XC40, with 683 registrations, 499 of them BEV, allowing the Swede to be 3rd in the overall market. The Tesla Model Y was, surprisingly, 3rd, with 653 registrations. This also signals Tesla’s return to the overall auto industry top spots in the Netherlands, as the midsizer was 5th in the overall market.
Just off the podium we have the Renault Megane EV in 4th, with the stylish hatchback scoring a record 387 units. The French EV is starting to live up to expectations — too bad the remaining lineup of the Alliance isn’t (2nd best was the Dacia Spring, with just 104 registrations).
The Ford Kuga PHEV jumped to 5th position, with 378 registrations, its best score in 20 months. Ford’s crossover continues to sell in significant volumes, even in a BEV-friendly environment.
In the second half of the table, one highlight is the Mazda CX-60 PHEV, with the midsize SUV scoring a record 154 registrations. Meanwhile, the VW ID.4 showed up in #14, with 187 registrations. Will the German crossover reach the top 10 soon?
Outside the top 20, February saw the first full month of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 streamliner, with 58 units delivered, while a few other recent models are ramping up their deliveries, like BMW’s third musketeer, the BMW iX1 (132 units); the MG 4 (115 units), probably the best value for money model in the compact category (Tesla, take notice); and the BYD Atto 3, the euro-spec (and slightly overpriced) version of the Yuan Plus (84 deliveries).
Looking at the 2023 ranking, the Lynk & Co 01 PHEV is starting to carve out some distance over the runner-up Volvo XC40, and although BEVs should rebound throughout the year, the compact crossover is the strongest candidate for this year’s title. And with a BEV successor landing next year, expect Lynk & Co to remain relevant in this market for years to come.
Interestingly, the YTD top four mirrors that of the February top four, with the Volvo XC40 in 2nd and the Tesla Model Y in 3rd, followed at the distance by the #4 Renault Megane EV.
It looks like the podium bearers are already starting to gain significant ground over the remaining competition, with the question now being how they will be aligned by year end.
In the top spots, the highlight is the nine-position jump of the #5 Skoda Enyaq, with the Czech trying to recover from a poor start of the year.
In the second half of the table, the climbers were the Volvo XC60 PHEV, up two spots to #11, and its smaller, flashier sibling, the C40, which was up to #16. Also, two Volkswagen models joined the ranking, with the ID.3 ending the month in #13 and the larger ID.4 in #20.
The Kia EV6 also joined the table, in this case in #15.
Finally, there are 14 BEVs in the table, one more than in January, and three more than 12 months ago. So, the BEV takeover continues to evolve.
In the manufacturer ranking, leader Volvo (11.4%, up from 11%) is comfortable above the competition, with the new runner-up Lynk & Co (9.9%, up 1 percentage point) surpassing a slow BMW (8.6%, down 1.9 points), now in 3rd.
Meanwhile, a rising Tesla (6.9%, up 0.3 points) profited from the Model Y’s success and displaced Mercedes (6.4%, down 1 point) from the 4th spot.
Finally, outside the top 5, we have #6 Renault, with 6% share, trying to reach Mercedes. But with only the Megane EV posting decent results, it will be hard for the French brand to do so….
As for OEMs, the top two gained ground over the competition. Leader Geely–Volvo is profiting from strong results across the board to jump its share from 20.4% to 22%, while Volkswagen Group (14.7%, up half a percentage point) is rising to secure the runner-up status.
Stellantis (10.6%) and a rising Hyundai–Kia (10.2%, up 1.9% compared to January) profited from BMW’s slow February to jump positions, while the German OEM dropped two spots, from 3rd to 5th, in just one month. Better luck in March, BMW?
#6 Renault–Nissan (9.1%) hopes not, but with the multinational conglomerate having less firepower than BMW (only the Renault Megane EV and Dacia Spring are volumes sellers), the German OEM should be safe from a top 5 kick.
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