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Writer's pictureMatthias Schmidt

January-October West European electric passenger car market round-up


Schmidt Automotive Research

2020 W-European xEV market approaches 1 million, while major markets see plug-in PARC approach 0.5m Full report available here:

Backed by recently extended purchase and fiscal subsidies, Germany's xEV (BEV/PHEV) market (10 months 2020: 252,268), is now almost twice the size as the next largest market France (131,243). Accounting for every fourth plug-in (25.3%) registered in the 18 market region, the home of BMW, VW and Mercedes is helping heave Western Europe's market towards the annual 1 million plug-in delivery milestone. Expected to be reached by the end of November, with the race to meet 2020 EU CO2 fleet targets being the primary catalyst, it will likely see the plug-in market end the year with double the volume as last year. Significantly 11-months after surpassing Norway as Europe's largest pure electric car market, more than double the amount of BEVs are now registered in Germany, accounting for every twentieth (5.2% mix) new model stretching from Berlin to Munich this year. Significantly, its plug- in cars in circulation (Parc) trajectory is on course to reach 0.5 million units by the end of the year, surpassing Norway and France as the market with the highest plug-in passenger car population. However, as a percentage of the 48.2 million passenger cars on German roads, the mix remains below one per cent while Norway stands at 15 per cent. The German government's failure to hit its original 1 million Parc target by the end of this year makes its new timeline, delayed by one year, indeed achievable. In the process, the German BEV market, in pure volume terms has zoomed ahead of the world's previously hotbed for alternative fuelled cars, California (see right column). However, with Tesla about to open a German plant later next year, Tesla's market share here, hovering at just 0.5 per cent after 10-months (11,469 units) leaves a lot to be desired when compared to its Californian home market which soaked up 50,900 units during the opening 9-months of the year (4.2% market share) according to AutoCount data from Experian. In brief:

European and Chinese plug-in markets equal after 10-months

____ W-European plug-in market remains equal with China Following 10-months of registrations, West European xEV passenger car registrations remain on par with China. Thanks to the newly phased-in EU fleet average CO2 targets European volumes have more than doubled this year (+116% ).



German xEV monthly car production breaks all records

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Highest volume on record of German car production fitted with a plug September VDA data identified that the over 60,000 passenger cars manufactured in Germany smashed all previous monthly levels as production rates got back to normal following the usual summer holiday period and manufacturers push to meet EU CO2 compliance. PHEVs were a large contributor in the increase in xEV volume, with Mercedes recording every fourth model registered in their domestic market fitted with a PHEV drive.

____ Germany's BEV market now outpaces California Once home to the hybrid, and now Tesla territory, the Californian BEV market (73.2K Jan-Sep 2020) has now fallen behind Germany (98.4K). ____ PHEVs edge in front of BEVs for second month this year Combined plug-in volumes increased to 147,000 in October driven by PHEVs (75K) recording a new record month – BEVs recorded 72,000.

This is just a summary of the European Electric Car Sales Monthly Market Intelligence Report which is published on a monthly basis and are available here.

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