In the first ten months of this year, Germany accounted for a quarter of new European BEV registrations and just under a fifth of new PHEV registrations. This is revealed by a new car sales analysis by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM).

In its latest report, the German Center of Automotive Management looks at the sales trends for e-mobility in 2023 in an international comparison. According to the Center’s evaluations, around 425 000 BEVs (+38%) and 140 000 PHEVs (-44%) were newly registered in Germany after ten months.

This means that Germany accounts for more than a quarter (26%) of new BEV registrations and just under a fifth (17%) of new PHEV registrations in Europe. In the analysis, Europe includes the EU member states plus the EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland), the UK, and… Liechtenstein.

Market share

In addition to Germany and its 425 000 BEVs, the United Kingdom (262 000) and France (230 000) in particular have high BEV sales, although their market shares of 16,3% and 16,0%, respectively, are still lower than in Germany (18,0%).

To compare, the relative prevalence of fully electric vehicles is high in Sweden (38,6%), Finland (33,5%), the Netherlands (29,5%), and, of course, the pioneering country of Norway (83,5%).

In Spain (5,0%) and Italy (3,9%), on the other hand, BEVs have only achieved low market penetration to date, as is also the case in most of the southern and eastern countries in the EU.

The CAM report specifies that battery electric vehicles, with their 18% growth, continue to outperform the overall market (+13,5% to 2 357 025 new registrations) despite the reduced subsidy framework.

However, the end of the purchase incentive for commercial registrations was certainly reflected in weaker sales in September and October and could still significantly depress the annual statistics. For the year as a whole, the CAM only expects pure electric vehicles to grow by 8,5% to 510 000 units, compared to the previous year (2022: 470 559).

Volkswagen leads BEV sales

The market leader among all-electric vehicles in Germany so far this year is the VW brand, with 58 661 new registrations, closely followed by Tesla (54 661). Mercedes, BMW, Hyundai, and Audi are well behind in 3rd to 6th place, with Opel, Fiat, Skoda, and MG also making it into the top 10 of new BEV registrations. MG is the first Chinese brand to make it into the top 10 of the German BEV’s new registration statistics.

According to CAM, in addition to the pure electric brands Tesla, Smart, and Chinese electric brands such as Polestar, Great Wall Motors, BYD, and Nio, some manufacturers have achieved significantly above-average BEV shares of new registrations so far this year.

In Germany, this applies to MG with almost 87%, Hyundai, Fiat, and Mini with around 28%, and Renault, Peugeot and Volvo with over 20%.

In contrast, the BEV shares of BMW (14,2%), VW (13,7%), Mercedes (13,3%), and Audi (12,1%) are below average compared to the market. For manufacturers such as Honda (5,3%), Toyota (4,8%), and Ford (3,5%), purely electric vehicles still play almost no role in vehicle sales in Germany.

Concerns for the near future

“While electromobility continues to grow at a high level in China, the momentum in Germany is weakening and is in a critical transition phase,” summarizes study director Stefan Bratzel from CAM.

Higher interest rates and decreasing subsidies are leading to higher leasing and financing rates for electric vehicles, which are already more expensive, and are likely to slow down market momentum.

“In addition, the generally high-earning, tech-savvy early adopters have been catered for and the lower market segments and buyer groups with significantly smaller budgets increasingly need to be addressed,” he added.

Bratzel therefore believes that more electric models below the mid-range, with purchase prices on a par with combustion engines, are needed in the near future in order to continue the market ramp-up.

For European car manufacturers, reducing manufacturing costs is the biggest challenge in order to survive the price war against competitors such as Tesla and some Chinese manufacturers.