Automotive
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| Despite all the New Kids On The Block, the Plug-In version of the Good Ol' Prius is still selling. And it's now #4... |
Models - A Whole Lotta Changes
Looking to models ranking, the leader Nissan Leaf was one of the few cars to maintain its position in the ranking, although its performance (3.687 units, worst result of the year) made it loose 1% in share.
The Outlander PHEV recovered the Second Place, surpassing the still-recovering-from-March-sales Model S, while behind them the Chevy Volt and Prius Plug-In changed positions for #4, with the japanese winning for now, but with just 41 units separating them, anything can happen.
Behind these, #6 BYD Qin (910 units, new personal best) distanced itself a bit from the #7 Ford Fusion Energi and #8 BMW i3.
And finally, two new models in the last two positions of the ranking, the Chery QQ3 EV benefits from the increased demand of electric cars in China to climb at #9, while the Volkswagen e-Up! finally appears in the Top 10, after several months in #11.
| Pl | WORLD | April | YTD | % | '13Pl |
| 1 | Nissan Leaf | 3.687 | 17.296 | 23 | 1 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 2.381 | 8.228 | 11 | 5 |
| 3 | Tesla Model S | 1.476 | 8.187 | 11 | 4 |
| 4 | Toyota Prius Plug-In | 1.998 | 4.160 | 8 | 3 |
| 5 | Chevrolet Volt (1) | 1.803 | 4.119 | 8 | 2 |
| 6 | BYD Qin | 910 | 3.294 | 4 | 40 |
| 7 | Ford Fusion Energi | 753 | 2.994 | 4 | 9 |
| 8 | BMW i3 | 797 | 2.814 | 4 | 20 |
| 9 | Chery QQ3 EV e) | 600 | 2.616 | 3 | 11 |
| 10 | Volkswagen e-Up! | 693 | 2.311 | 3 | 18 |
| TOTAL | 19.477 | 76.230 |
Manufacturers - Toyota climbs to #4
In the Manufacturers ranking, Mitsubishi benefits from Tesla's bad performance to win some margin and secure the YTD #2.
Further down the ranking, Toyota climbed two positions to #4 at the expenses of Chevrolet and Ford, this last had a less-than-stellar month (1.451 units), losing contact with the previous two contenders.
The #7 BYD continues to improve with yet another sales record (Now at 1.172 units/month), while Renault is slowly recovering (1.170 units, best result of the year).
In #9 we have BMW (804 units), wainting to grow significantly in May (US introduction of the i3 and landing of the i8 in several markets), while the #10 position now goes to Chery, taking credit for the increased demand of plug-ins in China.
| Pl | WORLD | April | YTD | % | '13Pl |
| 1 | Nissan | 3.689 | 17.298 | 23 | 1 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi | 2.606 | 9.756 | 13 | 3 |
| 3 | Tesla | 1.476 | 8.187 | 11 | 5 |
| 4 | Toyota | 2.067 | 6.427 | 8 | 4 |
| 5 | Chevrolet | 1.900 | 6.369 | 8 | 2 |
| 6 | Ford | 1.451 | 5.825 | 8 | 7 |
| 7 | BYD | 1.172 | 4.175 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Renault | 1.170 | 3.650 | 5 | 6 |
| 9 | BMW | 804 | 2.821 | 4 | 13 |
| 10 | Chery e) | 600 | 2.753 | 4 | 9 |
e) - Estimate
Questions for May
1 - Which model will be #4? And #7? And #10?
2 - Who will improve their sales records?
3 - Can the Model S fight back and reach #2?
4 - Which manufacturer will be #4?
5 - Can Ford regroup with Toyota and Chevrolet?
