Europe August 2017

The (VW) Empire Strikes Back

The plug-in market in Europe had a surprisingly strong August month, with over 22000 registrations, up 68% YoY, pushing the market share up, now at 1.7%.

This unexpected surge can also be an indication of an exceptional September month, will this mean the December '15 record (34213 units) is in danger?

Despite being a usually slow sales month, due to the holiday season, the Renault Zoe hasn't stopped leading the way (For the eighth month in a row), as it tries to satisfy demand, but the real news in August were the deliveries surge from Volkswagen, with brilliant performances across the lineup, while also winning the month's Silver and Bronze.

Looking at the Models Monthly Ranking:


#1 Renault Zoe - Still struggling to satisfy the demand for its long range supermini, Renault couldn't lift off the accelerator and enjoy the holiday season, with the French hatchback scoring 2152 units, up 147% YoY, with strong performances across the continent, like the 710 units in its domestic market, 423 in Germany and 148 deliveries in Denmark(!). Oh the wonders of increased range...


#2 Volkswagen e-Golf - The 1694 deliveries in August not only have beaten the previous personal record, set last June (1360 units), but it also allowed the e-Golf to triple the result made in the same period last year (549 units), mostly thanks to Norway (996 deliveries, new record) and Germany (475 units, new record). Oh the wonders of increased range...


#3 Volkswagen Passat GTE - Also profiting from Volkswagen's recent love for plug-ins, the Passat GTE registered 1352 units, its best result since January, with great results in Sweden (614 units, new record), Norway (356) and Germany (198). The German Midsizer is once again flying high, driving middle managers across Europe to their next customers/meetings/mistresses.


#4 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV - A classic in these Euro charts, the Japanese SUV was back in black, growing 18% YoY to 1204 units, gathering strong results in Norway (358 units) and Sweden (176), with the headlining result happening in Iceland(!), with an all-time record for a single model, with 152 (!!) registrations. No wonder Iceland is at 10% share...


#5 BMW i3 - It looks like the 33 kWh sales boost has ended, with the German (hot) hatch delivering only 1149 units, its lowest result in a year, with Norway (390 units) and Germany (238) preventing sales to drop even further. If its true the upcoming restyling can help stop the sales bleeding, the fact is that the EV market is moving fast and only a sharp price cut can make it competitive again.

BMW 530e: The execs new darling

YTD Ranking - Volkswagen on the rise

If the podium positions remained stable, below it there were significant changes, with the VW Passat GTE climbing to Fifth, while its e-Golf stablemate jumped to #11, and to end Volkswagen's perfect month, the Golf GTE also climbed to #14.

In #20 we now have the BMW530e, that with 627 units in August, it has struck a chord with its target aundience, eager to cash in on those juicy plug-in incentives, while at the same time shaming its direct rival, the Mercedes E350e (204 registrations in August) and even keeping up with the all mighty Tesla Model S (766 deliveries).

In the manufacturers ranking, BMW is comfortable in its carbon fiber throne, with 20% share, followed by Renault (14%) and Volkswagen (12%, up 2%) now set to recover over the lost time.

Pl	Europe	August	YTD	%
1	Renault Zoe	2152	21632	12
2	Nissan Leaf	993	13456	7
3	BMW i3	1149	12809	7
4	Mitsu. Outlander PHEV	1204	11882	7
5	VW Passat GTE	1352	8243	5
6	Mercedes GLC350e	1002	8053	4
7	Tesla Model S	766	8051	4
8	BMW 225xe Act. Tourer	692	6661	4
9	Tesla Model X	577	6636	4
10	BMW 330e	592	6556	4
11	VW e-Golf	1694	5874	3
12	Audi A3 e-Tron	904	5634	3
13	Volvo XC90 T8	340	4802	3
14	VW Golf GTE	616	4584	3
15	Mercedes C350e	512	4432	2
16	BMW X5 40e	279	3925	2
17	Hyundai Ioniq Electric	620	3801	2
18	Kia Soul EV	570	3325	2
19	Nissan e-NV200 / Evalia	301	2900	2
20	BMW 530e	627	2806	2
	Others	5363	34351	18
	TOTAL	22305	180413	100