Automotive
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| Running neck to neck for Number One |
Renault Zoe vs BMW i3
Some 3.011 plug-ins were registered last month in Germany, some 6% behind last year result, with the full year registrations ending at 27.404 units, a 12% increase over 2015, with the EV Share ending at 0.82%, slightly above the 0.75% registered last year.
Looking at the monthly models ranking, after a slow November, BMW pushed the i3 deliveries in December and returned to the Top Spot, with 433 units, followed by its arch-enemy, the Renault Zoe, with only 239 units, or about half the registrations it had in the same month last year, with the ZE40 version still on the first stages of delivery, the French hatch sat in a sort of no-mans-land last month, losing a precious advantage over the i3, but more on that later...
In Third Place we have once again the BMW 225xe Act. Tourer scoring a personal best for the second month in a row, to 236 units, this is possibly the model that benefited the most from the new incentives scheme made this year by the German government.
Fourth we have the Audi A3 e-Tron (183 registrations), while in Fifth we have the Outlander PHEV, with 180 units, its best result since March, possibly due to some heavy discounting, after all, let's not forget the Japanese SUV is racing the Renault Zoe for Europe's Best Selling Plug-in title and the Renault model is being caught with its pants down...
While the mainstream German market is known for its extreme stability (I mean, Glaciars change more each month), the plug-in niche is the complete opposite, with frequent changes and a balanced ranking, and December was no exception:
- The race for the Best Seller title was decided by just 58 units, the smallest distance ever, with the BMW i3 overcoming the Renault Zoe by 2.863 to 2.805, with the aforementioned deliveries push by BMW proving to be crucial for the Bavarian hot hatch Second title, after the one earned in 2014;
- The VW Golf GTE dropped to #8, by registering only 46 units, down 68% YoY, to the benefit of the Outlander PHEV, ending in Sixth, and the Kia Soul EV, Seventh;
- The BMW 225xe Active Tourer just made it to the Top 10, switching positions with the Nissan Leaf, while the Tesla Model X reached #19, while two recent models have left their mark on the 2016 ranking, with the Mercedes E350e reaching #32 and the Hyundai Ioniq Electric #35. Expect both of them to end 2017 much higher...
Looking at some highlights for 2016, the race between the top two was quite entertaining, with the Renault Zoe proving to be competitive in German lands (Then again, there is no VW e-Polo...), the VW Golf GTE and Outlander PHEV had significant YoY drops, while Kia this year had the common sense to send directly their Soul EV's to Norway, with "sales" consequently stumbling to more normal levels.
Some 3.011 plug-ins were registered last month in Germany, some 6% behind last year result, with the full year registrations ending at 27.404 units, a 12% increase over 2015, with the EV Share ending at 0.82%, slightly above the 0.75% registered last year.
Looking at the monthly models ranking, after a slow November, BMW pushed the i3 deliveries in December and returned to the Top Spot, with 433 units, followed by its arch-enemy, the Renault Zoe, with only 239 units, or about half the registrations it had in the same month last year, with the ZE40 version still on the first stages of delivery, the French hatch sat in a sort of no-mans-land last month, losing a precious advantage over the i3, but more on that later...
In Third Place we have once again the BMW 225xe Act. Tourer scoring a personal best for the second month in a row, to 236 units, this is possibly the model that benefited the most from the new incentives scheme made this year by the German government.
Fourth we have the Audi A3 e-Tron (183 registrations), while in Fifth we have the Outlander PHEV, with 180 units, its best result since March, possibly due to some heavy discounting, after all, let's not forget the Japanese SUV is racing the Renault Zoe for Europe's Best Selling Plug-in title and the Renault model is being caught with its pants down...
| Pl | Model | Sales |
| 1 | BMW i3 | 433 |
| 2 | Renault Zoe | 239 |
| 3 | BMW 225xe A. Tourer | 236 |
| 4 | Audi A3 e-Tron | 183 |
| 5 | Mit. Outlander PHEV | 180 |
While the mainstream German market is known for its extreme stability (I mean, Glaciars change more each month), the plug-in niche is the complete opposite, with frequent changes and a balanced ranking, and December was no exception:
- The race for the Best Seller title was decided by just 58 units, the smallest distance ever, with the BMW i3 overcoming the Renault Zoe by 2.863 to 2.805, with the aforementioned deliveries push by BMW proving to be crucial for the Bavarian hot hatch Second title, after the one earned in 2014;
- The VW Golf GTE dropped to #8, by registering only 46 units, down 68% YoY, to the benefit of the Outlander PHEV, ending in Sixth, and the Kia Soul EV, Seventh;
- The BMW 225xe Active Tourer just made it to the Top 10, switching positions with the Nissan Leaf, while the Tesla Model X reached #19, while two recent models have left their mark on the 2016 ranking, with the Mercedes E350e reaching #32 and the Hyundai Ioniq Electric #35. Expect both of them to end 2017 much higher...
Looking at some highlights for 2016, the race between the top two was quite entertaining, with the Renault Zoe proving to be competitive in German lands (Then again, there is no VW e-Polo...), the VW Golf GTE and Outlander PHEV had significant YoY drops, while Kia this year had the common sense to send directly their Soul EV's to Norway, with "sales" consequently stumbling to more normal levels.
BMW (18%) won its Second manufacturers title, with last year winner Volkswagen (15%) and the 2012 champion, Renault (13%,) completing the podium.
Looking at the BEV / PHEV breakdown, plug-in hybrids increased slightly their share (41% to 45%) regarding 2015, but they still are outsold by BEV's in Germany.
Looking at the BEV / PHEV breakdown, plug-in hybrids increased slightly their share (41% to 45%) regarding 2015, but they still are outsold by BEV's in Germany.
| Pl | Germany | Dec. | YTD | % | '15 Pl |
| 1 2 | BMW i3 * Renault Zoe | 433 239 | 2.863 2.805 | 10 10 | 2 6 |
| 3 4 5 | StreetScooter e) Audi A3 e-Tron Tesla Model S | 150 183 160 | 1.800 1.615 1.474 | 7 6 5 | N/A 5 7 |
| 6 7 | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Kia Soul EV | 180 121 | 1.436 1.384 | 5 5 | 3 1 |
| 8 | Volkswagen Golf GTE | 46 | 1.315 | 5 | 4 |
| 9 | Volkswagen Passat GTE | 142 | 1.256 | 5 | 9 |
10 | BMW 225xe Active Tourer | 236 | 1.203 | 4 | 20 |
| 11 12 13 | Nissan Leaf Volkswagen e-Golf Audi Q7 e-Tron | 112 28 52 | 1.121 860 797 | 4 3 3 | 10 8 24 |
| 14 15 16 | Volvo XC90 T8 Mercedes C350e e) Renault Twizy e) | 77 47 30 | 689 681 680 | 3 3 3 | 28 13 15 |
| 17 | Volkswagen e-Up! | 120 | 592 | 2 | 12 |
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 | Mercedes B250e BMW 740eTesla Model X BMW 330e Porsche Cayenne Plug-In BMW X5 40e Mercedes GLC350e Mercedes GLE500e Volvo V60 Plug-In Mercedes S500e e) BMW i8 Nissan e-NV200 / Evalia Porsche Panamera PHEV Peugeot iOn Mercedes E350e Renault Kangoo ZE e) Citroen C-Zero Hyundai Ioniq ElectricOthers | 22 111 20 24 32 59 24 23 20 26 24 14 28 24 72 5 16 39 24 | 437 430 386 363 360 296 284 282 257 243 208 186 157 154 142 140 113 80 315 | 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 | 14 N/A 32 17 22 N/A 29 18 19 16 N/A 25 23 36 N/A N/A 36 N/A |
TOTAL | 2.961 | 27.404 | 100 |
* - 290 Bev + 143 Rex
e) Estimate
Source: kba.de
Tesla Model S vs The Others (*)
Pl | Model | Dec. 2016 |
1 | Porsche Panamera | 273 |
2 | Mercedes CLS | 179 |
3 | Tesla Model S | 160 |
4 | Audi A7 | 148 |
5 | BMW 6-Series | 106 |
The Tesla Model S deliveries were down 32% YoY, to 160 units, despite this significant drop, the Californian actually ended December in an honorable Third Spot, ahead of the BMW 6-Series and Audi A7, while the Second Placed Mercedes CLS was only 19 units ahead.
More than the Model S influence, it seems these German Autobahn bruisers are suffering from the launch of the new (And much cooler) Porsche Panamera, currently the undisputed Top Dog, with 273 units.
More than the Model S influence, it seems these German Autobahn bruisers are suffering from the launch of the new (And much cooler) Porsche Panamera, currently the undisputed Top Dog, with 273 units.
(*) - Considering that the German market is one of the hardest for Tesla to crack, the models we are comparing are not the volume sellers like the Audi A6 or BMW 5-Series, but those that are closer in concept and price to the Californian Sports Sedan.
