World Top 10 August 2014

Feeling tired, PiP?...

Models - BMW i3 Jumps to #6

There were nearly 27.000 plug-ins sold last month, representing a 26% jump regarding the same month last year, making a YTD sales this year of more than 192.000 units, and with four more months to go, likely all above the 25k level, we could be talking of a 2014 EV sales total of around 300.000 units, not bad considering that the same total last year was 212.496...

Looking to models ranking, the leader Nissan Leaf continued head and shoulders above the rest, but overall sales are growing at a faster pace than those of the japanese hatch, making it loose 3% share in the last four months.

The Outlander PHEV and Model S had below par months, but the Prius Plug-In had it worst, selling just 1.155 units, its worst showing since 2012, with the regular Prius also showing signs of falling sales, it is clear that Toyota's Eco-Star is desperately needing a makeover. 

But for every loser, there's a winner, and this time they are the BMW i3 and Kandi EV, beating their respective sales records, and climbing to #6 and #7 respectively, at the expense of the Ford Fusion Energi, which dropped two positions to #8. 

Behind these three, the #9 BYD Qin (1.316 units, for the zillionth eighth consecutive time, new personal best) distanced itself even more from the #10 Ford C-Max Energi.

Pl	WORLD	Aug	YTD	%	'13Pl
1	Nissan Leaf	5.256	38.051	20	1
2	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	1.597	20.276	11	5
3	Tesla Model S	1.600	17.644	9	4
4	Chevrolet Volt (1)	2.764	14.941	8	2
5	Toyota Prius Plug-In	1.155	14.612	8	3
6	BMW i3	1.837	9.069	5	20
7	Kandi EV e)	2.000	8.829	5	N/A
8	Ford Fusion Energi	1.232	8.763	5	9
9	BYD Qin	1.316	7.773	4	40
10	Ford C-Max Energi	1.065	5.929	3	8
	TOTAL	26.662	192.068

Manufacturers - Changes Down Below 

If the top four positions continued the same, from #5 down there's a lot going on:

Chevrolet had a superb month, selling 2.844 units, its best performance of the year, and with it, changed positions with Toyota, relegating the Japanese Giant to #6;

BMW has beaten yet again its sales record (1.921 units), climbing to #8 and pressuring the ever-improving BYD for #7.

After losing to BMW the #8 spot, in #9 we now have Renault, which had another horrible result (Just 974 units), which is eons behind the monthly result of the #10 Kandi (Only 312 units behind), but it is also behind the 1.274 units that the #11 Volkswagen sold last month.

Will we see the french automaker out of the Manufacturers Top 10 ranking by the end of this year? What would seemed to be almost impossible a year ago (Renault was #4 in 2012 and #6 in '13), it now looks to have a strong chance of happening...

Pl	WORLD	Aug	YTD	%	'13Pl
1	Nissan	5.302	38.287	20	1
2	Mitsubishi	1.919	23.041	12	3
3	Tesla	1.600	17.644	9	5
4	Ford	2.589	16.254	9	7
5	Chevrolet	2.844	15.815	8	2
6	Toyota	1.383	15.457	8	4
7	BYD	1.528	9.602	5	11
8	BMW	1.921	9.287	5	13
9	Renault	974	9.141	5	6
10	Kandi e)	2.000	8.829	5	N/A

(1) - Includes Holden Volt, Opel and Vauxhall Ampera;

e) - Estimate


Questions for September

1 - Which model will be #6? 

2 - Who will improve their sales records?

3 - Can Ford reach Tesla and go for #3?...

4 - ...Or will Chevrolet get even closer to Ford?

5 - Will BMW reach to #7?

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End of the traditional paper tax disc in the UK

Moving into the digital era, the DVSA has done away with the need for traditional paper tax discs in the UK. The first paper tax disc was issued in the UK over 90 years ago.

No paper dics means less trees cut to make them.

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