Markets Roundup September 2013

Tesla Model S is making an impact in Europe

Tesla Crosses The Pond Edition

After leading for a few months the EV ranking in the US, the Tesla Model S is now making waves across the Atlantic, where for the first time ever an EV was #1 in the general ranking in Norway.

But it wasn't just in Norway that Tesla was #1, it also won the best selling EV crown in Switzerland, Denmark and Belgium, as well as #2 and best selling BEV in both Canada and Netherlands.

Trends in the G7

The US market continues on a high note with a close fight for Number One between the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf, but the real news are Norway and the Netherlands, in the first case, besides the aforementioned Model S achievement, the global EV market also beat the monthly sales record, with 1.040 units sold, with the September EV share registering an out-of-this-world 9% share!

As for the Dutch Market, it's also on fire, breaking for the second time on a row the monthly sales record, now scoring 1.340 units, a formidable performance that pulled the EV share to 1,93%, double the share it had a year ago.

Besides these two hot markets, other two EV shares are also growing, in a moderate rate, like France (0,82% vs 0,66% in '12) and the USA (0,57% vs 0,39%), while the others are marginally better than last year.

After a five month hiatus, the Mitsu Outlander Plug-in recovered the monthly #1 spot in Japan, and is now looking to bring back the YTD leadership from the Nissan Leaf.


Other Markets

A surprising fact this month is that the Renault EV with more #1's crowns is...The Fluence ZE! Yes, despite selling just a few dozens, in September the french sedan achieved the Number One spot in Spain and Hong Kong, this last one is now a Renault stronghold, with the Fluence having 56% share there. With Renault-Samsung readying the production of the SM3 ZE in South Korea, the dodgy electric sedan might benefit from a second life in Asia.

Until the end of the year, another two countries will join the electric bandwagon: South Africa and South Korea, the first through the arrival of the Nissan Leaf, the second with two domestic EV's: The Samsung SM3 ZE and the Chevrolet Spark EV.


Fragmented Markets

With frequent podium changes, one might think that the US market would be the most fragmented market, only it's not, Switzerland holds that title, as a result of 6 different monthly leaders, the Citröen C-Zero (Jan), Mitsu I-Miev (Feb), Nissan Leaf (Mar), Renault Twizy (Apr & May), Renault Zoe (Jun & Jul) and Tesla Model S (Aug & Sep), the result is that the YTD #1 (Zoe) and #2 (Twizy) are separated by just one unit and both have just 21% share, 4% less than the Chevy Volt in the US. But that's not all, the #3 (Leaf) is not that far off, with 17% share and even the fourth, the Model S (13% share) has a shot of reaching #1 this year, so we're talking of 4 pretenders at the best selling crown with just three months to go. Interesting, eh?


Questions for October

1 - Where will be beaten the next sales records?

2 - Who will be the US #1?

3 - Who will be #1 in the Netherlands?

4 - Will the Zoe recover the #1 spot in France?

5 - Will the BMW i3 reach #1 in Germany?

6 - Where will the Tesla Model S perform better?