Netherlands June 2020

Tesla Model 3 holds on to #1

With the Netherlands moving out of the pandemic-related disruption, the transition is being done faster in the plugin category (down only 13% in June) than the in overall market (-39%)

This meant that the PEV Share of continues on the rise, with 16% (11% BEV) in June, pulling the 2020 PEV share to 13% (9% BEV), well above last year result (6%).

Looking at last month sellers, we saw an interesting race, with the Kia Niro EV taking an early lead in June, only to be surpassed by the Tesla Model 3 in the last days of the month, thanks to the arrival of fresh units, that propelled the sports sedan to the leadership. 

Still, it was a great month for the Kia Niro EV, as last month performance (542 units) represented its best result ever in Dutch lands, so it seems the Korean maker is finding enough batteries to keep ramping up production of its popular EV. 

Coincidence or not, the other Kia BEV model, the Soul EV, also scored a record result last month, with 70 deliveries. Kia is rising...

Surprisingly, the Volvo XC40 PHEV ended the month in 3rd, with a record 374 units, being once again the Best Selling PHEV in this market, after a slow ramp up last year, the Swedish SUV is now delivering large volumes and proving its popularity in the Netherlands, which is a promising sign for the future XC40 BEV.

In 4th place we have the Hyundai Kona EV, with 326 units, a new Year Best, which means that the Czech-made units of the Korean crossover are now being delivered in large volumes, so expect the Hyundai model to continue being a familiar face in the Top 5.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Tesla Model 3	716
2	Kia Niro EV	542
3	Volvo XC40 PHEV	374
4	Hyundai Kona EV	326
5	VW e-Golf	299

Looking at the 2020 ranking, if the leadership remained in the possession of the Tesla Model 3, the reality is that this time there was more to the story than these number tell, because in the beggining of June, as the Model 3 inventory units had dried out, Tesla saw the Kia Niro EV surpass its sedan, with the Korean crossover becoming the #1 during a couple of weeks, but around the 23rd of June, Tesla Netherlands finally received new units, fresh from the Zeebrugge port, which allowed the Model 3 to run from behind and recover the lead, ending the month with a 391 units advantage over the Kia EV.

But because Tesla only had time to ship pre-ordered units for June, in July Tesla is suffering once again from lack of inventory units, so expect the Kia Niro EV to once again go after #1 in July, with the Model 3 possibly only recovering back the lead in September...

After September, it's anyone's guess, because by then there will be another big player in the market, the VW ID.3, so Q4 should see an entertaining race to follow.

In the PHEV category, we are witnessing an historic moment, after years leading the plugin hybrid segment in this country, a year ago the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was selling three times as much as the category #2, the Volvo XC60 PHEV, now the Japanese SUV was  trounced surpassed by the rising star Volvo XC40 PHEV, the new category leader, with the veteran Mitsubishi also having to watch its back from another youngster, the Ford Kuga PHEV, that jumped two positions in June, to #12, thanks to yet another record performance, 164 units being registered last month, so expect Ford's rookie to keep on rising in the coming months. 

(Watching these great performances from the unassuming Kuga PHEV, i wonder how many pre-orders Ford Netherlands might have of the much more compelling Mustang Mach-E...)

Elsewhere, the ranking had more changes to talk about, the Hyundai Kona EV was up to #4, surpassing the sold out Opel Ampera-e, while the #11 Renault Zoe is getting closer to the #10 Volvo S/V60 PHEV, thanks to 102 units, a new year best, but the French hatchback will also have to look behind, not only the aforementioned Ford Kuga PHEV is closing in (only 9 units separate both), but also the MG ZS EV, that jumped to #13, thanks to a year best performance of 156 registrations.  

Outside the Top 20, the tiny Seat Mii EV scored a record 52 deliveries, while Porsche saw its Taycan EV score a record 46 registrations last month (as much as the Tesla Model S and X counted together), while the Cayenne PHEV had 44 deliveries in June, the SUV's best performance in almost two years...

In the manufacturers ranking, Tesla and Kia (both with 14%, up 1%), are running neck-to-neck for the leadership, with the Californian maker leading by just 18 units over the Korean, followed by the #3 Volkswagen (11%) and #4 Volvo (9%).

Coming from behind, we have the rising #5 Hyundai (8%, up 1%), that could ambition a podium seat in the near future.

Midsize Cars

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	Tesla Model 3	2,690
2	BMW 3-Series	2,041
3	Volvo S/V60	1,884
4	Mercedes C-Class	890
5	Audi A4	739

Tesla's midsizer is leading, followed by the electrified BMW 3-Series (12% PHEV units) and Volvo's S/V60 twins (27%).

As for the remaining Top 5, the local Mercedes importer has started to deliver the C300e/de PHEV versions, so there is hope for it, something that can't be said about the 100% unplugged Audi A4...

So, if we exclude the Model 3 from the tally, this is the least electrified category of the lot. Some would say that Legacy OEMs are afraid to go head to head with Tesla's Best Seller...

Midsize SUVs

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	Volvo XC60	820
2	Mitsubishi Outlander	721
3	BMW X3	666
4	Mercedes GLC	319
5	Mercedes EQC	208

Diversity is the word here, from the all-electric Mercedes EQC, to the almost all-PHEV Mitsubishi Outlander (96% PHEV units), passing by the mildly plugged Volvo XC60 (27% PHEV) or the BMW X3 (23%), and ending on the almost plugless Mercedes GLC.

While the Volvo XC60 lost a few electrification points regarding last March, the BMW X3 increased its electrification share by 9%, to 23%, and should continue to see its plugin share increase over the next few months, while Mercedes is now starting to add PHEV units to its GLC midsize SUV. Is Mercedes finally determined to expand its plugin availability?

Full size Cars

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	BMW 5-Series	943
2	Volvo S/V90	397
3	Mercedes E-Class	341
4	Audi A6	268
5	Porsche Taycan	154

The leadership is in the hands of the BMW 5-Series, that has a low plugin share of its sales, at only 13%.

But there are other models in worse shape, the #2 Mercedes E-Class has only 8% of its sales coming from its PHEV versions, while the S/V90 PHEVs have only 6% share of the big Swedes sales, and the Audi A6 has yet to receive its PHEV units. 

The only good news are the Porsche Taycan reaching the Top 5, so we now have one BEV model in every one of these 4 Top 5's.

Full size SUVs

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	BMW X5	572
2	Porsche Cayenne	430
3	Volvo XC90	327
4	Audi e-Tron	287
5	LR Range Rover Sport	228

Unlike the full size car category, where ICE is still king, here on behemoth-land, electrification is more advanced, with the leader BMW X5 having 60% of its sales coming from its PHEV version, the #3 Volvo XC90 have 86% electrification share, while the Range Rover Sport has 87% of all its sales also coming from the PHEV version.

The all electric Audi e-Tron is 4th, while the #2 Porsche Cayenne is the only model (for now) with most of its sales coming from the plugless versions, but with a 14% rise regarding last March, to the current 24% electrification rate, expect the Porsche SUV to become also a plugin friendly model soon.

Sweden June 2020

The next Volvo Best Seller?

Volvo Fest in 26% PEV Share market

We start the month in Sweden, the local plug-in market is recovering its mojo, up 86% YoY, to 6.391 registrations, with June scoring a 26% share for plugins, in line with the 2020 PEV share, of 26%. Currently BEVs only represent 28% of plugin sales, with BEVs with 7% share of the total market (up 2% regarding the same period last year), and PHEVs at 19%, jumping a stark 12% in share regarding last year, as 12 months ago, they only had 7%...

Looking at the remaining fuels, HEVs increase from 7% to to 8%, regarding last year, while petrol loses 5% of the market, now at 39%, while diesel does even worse, dropping 10% in share, to just 26%. 

Looking at last month Best Sellers, it's a Volvo Fest, with a 1-2 victory and 4 models in the Top 8, with the XC60 PHEV winning last month trophy, thanks to a record performance of 807 registrations, followed by the S/V60 twins, with 752 units, while the larger twins, the S/V90 PHEV, ended in #6, thanks to 297 deliveries, with the recent XC40 PHEV reaching a record 277 units, allowing it to reach #8 in June's ranking.

Elsewhere, the VW Passat GTE was #3, with 476 units, followed by the Tesla Model 3, that due to production constraints, this time had a small end-of-quarter high tide, with just 312 units, almost being caught by the #5 Renault Zoe, that had a surprising 299 units result in June.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Volvo XC60 PHEV	807
2	Volvo S/V60 PHEV	752
3	VW Passat GTE	476
4	Tesla Model 3	312
5	Renault Zoe	299

On the 2020 ranking, there is not much to talk about regarding the podium positions, but below them, there is a lot going on, starting with the Volvo XC60 PHEV jumping two positions, to #5, becoming the new Best Selling SUV in the table, while both the Volvo S/V90 PHEV twins and the Renault Zoe also went up two positions, to #8 and #9 respectively, with the flagship Volvos becoming the new leaders in the full size category, after surpassing the Audi e-Tron.

And the good news didn't stopped here for the Swedes, with the Climber of the Month being the Volvo XC40 PHEV, shooting 8 positions, to #12, while the XC90 PHEV rejoined the table, in #19, thanks to 142 registrations, thus making 5 Volvos in the Top 20.

Oh, and let's not forget that the first units of the Polestar 2 and its platform twin Volvo XC40 EV were registered this month, so one can say that the Swedish maker is on a roll... 

But the ranking changes didn't ended there, the Skoda Superb PHEV was up one position, to #13, proving once a again the local love for station wagons, highlighted by the two positions jump of the Kia Ceed PHEV, to #14, thanks to a record 177 registrations, while the Hyundai Kona EV climbed to #18, helped by the ramp up in the Hyundai Czech factory.

Outside the Top 20, we should mention the good start of the Ford Kuga PHEV, with 102 units, yet another record performance (Has Ford struck gold with its new plugin compact SUV?), while the Porsche Cayenne PHEV also scored a record result, with 83 units.  

In the manufacturers ranking, Volvo is in the lead, with 23% share, up 3%, while Kia (18%, down 1%), keeps the 2nd place, while Volkswagen (12%, down 1%) closes the podium, ahead of Tesla (7%, up 1%).

Midsize Cars

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	Volvo S/V60	9.418
2	VW Passat	4.328
3	Kia Optima	2.029
4	Tesla Model 3	1.828
5	BMW 3-Series	1.706

Nothing new on the ranking, with the Best Sellers holding their positions and keeping the Tesla Model 3 in #4. 

Looking at the remaining models, all have PHEV versions with variable share of the nameplate sales, from 100% in the Kia Optima, to 37% of the Volvo twins, the 30% of the BMW 3-Series (the SW body of the 330e PHEV is badly needed to jump start sales again), passing by the 59% of the VW Passat, so all in all, electrification is on the right track in this category.

Midsize SUVs

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	Volvo XC60	4.561
2	Mitsubishi Outlander	1.730
3	Mercedes GLC	1.105
4	BMW X3	983
5	Audi Q5	495

We now have a fully electrified Top 5 in this category, now that the local Mercedes importer is selling the GLC300e in volumes, being now responsible for 19% of all GLC registrations.

This highlights the fast electrification rate that is also going on, with the Outlander (96% PHEV sales) being basically a plugin model, while the BMW X3 (58%) and Volvo XC60 (39%) are increasing fast their PHEV take rate, with the same being said about the Audi Q5 (29%).

Considering all this, it won't be surprising that soon all models on this Top 5 will have over 50% of units plugin capable.

Full size cars

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	Volvo S/V90	4.851
2	BMW 5-Series	1.726
3	Audi A6	1.591
4	Mercedes E-Class	1.427
5	Tesla Model S	451

While the flagship Volvos (24% coming from the PHEV version) rule the category with an iron fist, below them, the BMW 5-Series jumped to the runner-up spot, but lost 7% in the PHEV take rate, now at 27%.

Elsewhere, the Audi is starting to deliver the first units of the A6 PHEV, so expect a fully electrified Top 5 soon.

Finally, the  #4 Mercedes E-Class keeps its 29% PHEV take rate, so this category is having a harder time to be electrified than others.

Full size SUVs

Pl	Model	2020 Sales
1	Audi e-Tron	1.077
2	Volvo XC90	979
3	Mercedes GLE	508
4	BMW X5	464
5	Porsche Cayenne	344

One of the categories with best results regarding electrification, here the all-electric Audi e-Tron is the ruler of the category, ahead of the Volvo XC90, that has 57% of its sales coming from the PHEV version, which is midway between the BMW X5 (73% PHEV) and the Porsche Cayenne (88%), with this last one increasing dramatically its electrification rate in the last few months, highlighting Porsche's recent love for plugins.

Interestingly, the Mercedes GLE climbed to #3, but it wasn't thanks to its PHEV version, as the GLE350de for now only represents 2% of the model total sales.

(Still not enough batteries, Mercedes?!?)