Automotive
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Models - Tesla Model S Goes for #1!
Thanks to another outstanding performance of the chinese market, this time with the help from Europe, a new monthly record was set, with almost 60.000 plug-ins sold last month, which not only represents a 12% increase over the last record (51k), set in the previous month, but also a significant 115%(!) increase regarding the same month last year, pulling the YTD sales to 447k units, meaning that we are headed for over 500.000 units at the end of the year.
The Tesla Model S was the Star of the Month, delivering 5.377 units, its best mid-quarter result ever, and a 143%(!) improvement Year-on-Year, allowing it not only to be the Best Seller of the Month (For the third time this year), but also managing to remove the Nissan Leaf from the YTD leadership for the first time in three years(!), knowing that the last month of each quarter has a sales peak of the Model S, i would say the Californian will be the Best Selling EV of 2015, a first for the Fremont brand, after two Third Places (2008 - Roadster & 2014 - Model S) and two Runner-Up positions (2009 & 2010 - Roadster).
Looking elsewhere (China), the Kandi Panda EV continues to impress, selling 4.153 units and reaching #2 in November, leading the wave of four(!) chinese models that made it to the Top 10: The BYD Tang Sports SUV was #4, with 4.049 units, the Zotye Cloud EV, #6 with 3.730 sales and finally, the BAIC E-Series EV was #9, with 2.104 units.
On the losers side...Taking the risk of copying myself frequently, the Nissan Leaf desperately needs to start selling the 30kWh worldwide, the 2.171 registrations (Worst performance since early 2012) made it lose another 1% share, mounting to 10% the amount of share lost by the japanese regarding last year...Worst of all, the 25% sales decline made it loose the YTD leadership and most likely won't be able to renew its Best Selling EV trophy won in the last two years.
Besides the aforementioned leadership change, the only notable position change in the YTD ranking was the Kandi Panda EV shooting to #6, while the #12 Zotye Cloud EV and #13 BYD Tang will try to reach #10 in the last month of the year.
| Pl | WORLD | Nov. | YTD | % | '14Pl |
| 1 | Tesla Model S | 5.377 | 42.076 | 9 | 3 |
| 2 | Nissan Leaf | 2.171 | 41.067 | 9 | 1 |
| 3 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 3.770 | 36.165 | 8 | 2 |
| 4 5 6 7 | BYD Qin BMW i3 Kandi Panda EV Renault Zoe | 2.021 2.215 4.153 2.065 | 30.386 22.555 15.689 15.688 | 7 5 4 4 | 7 6 26 9 |
| 8 | Chevrolet Volt (1) | 2.183 | 15.085 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | BAIC E-Series EV | 2.104 | 14.792 | 3 | 16 |
| 10 | Volkswagen e-Golf | 1.439 | 14.149 | 3 | 21 |
| TOTAL | 57.851 | 446.821 |
Manufacturers - Tesla Back to Third
This was the
And to think BYD ended 2014 in Seventh...
In the race for #3, another position change, Tesla is now ahead, now that the Model X is finally helping out with the sales burden, it looks that the all-electric brand is poised to secure the Bronze Medal in December, but still, a lot can still happen until the end of the year...Like Tesla surpassing sales expectations and catch Nissan in Second.
In the low end of the manufacturers ranking, things remain pretty leveled, Kandi is now pressuring the #7 Renault, while Zotye reached #9, surpassing Ford, that stumbled big time this year, dropping from #5 last year, to an endangered #10 (The Volt II-fied Chevrolet is #11, some 1.000 units behind).
| Pl | WORLD | Nov. | YTD | % | '14Pl |
| 1 | BYD | 7.728 | 50.801 | 11 | 7 |
| 2 | Nissan | 2.493 | 44.553 | 10 | 1 |
| 3 | Tesla | 5.382 | 42.091 | 9 | 3 |
| 4 | Mitsubishi | 4.146 | 40.667 | 9 | 2 |
| 5 6 7 | Volkswagen BMW Renault | 4.255 3.267 2.820 | 33.121 29.018 22.986 | 7 6 5 | 11 9 8 |
| 8 | Kandi | 4.353 | 21.554 | 5 | 10 |
| 9 | Zotye | 4.835 | 20.219 | 5 | 13 |
| 10 | Ford | 1.847 | 18.966 | 4 | 5 |
(1) - Includes Chevrolet Volt I and II, Holden Volt, Opel and Vauxhall Ampera;
e) Estimate
Chinese Top EV Models
To have a better understanding on the wave of Chinese Plug-in models that have been taking over the last couple of Monthly Best Sellers Editions, here is a Who Is Who of these Models:
Kandi Panda EV (#2 in November)
Length: 360 cms
Power: 20 kW
Range: 80 kms
BYD Tang (#4)
Length: 482 (485*) cms
Power: 371 (411) kW
e-Range: 80 kms
* - Performance Package
Zotye Cloud (Z100) EV (#5)
Length: 356 cms
Power: 18 kW
Range: 150 kms
BAIC E-Series EV (#9)
Length: 400 cms
Top Speed: 120 km/h
Range: 150 kms
