Hyundai Kona EV jumps to #2 in hot market
The Dutch market started 2019 on fire, as January had 3,271 plugin registrations, doubling sales YoY, which translates in a PEV Share of 6.9%, and this is before the oficial landing of the Tesla Model 3...But more on that later.
This good market performance was the result of several good individual results, starting with the Best Seller of the Month, the VW e-Golf, that registered 653 units, repeating the good start of 2018, with the BEV now representing one third of all VW Golf deliveries.
But the surprise of the month was the Kona EV (where have heard this one before?), that delivered a record 536 units, or 79% of all Kona deliveries in this market, with a few thousand orders waiting to be fulfilled, the Korean Crossover is presenting itself as the strongest candidate for the Silver Medal this year, behind the Tesla Model 3. But more on this last one in a few moments...
The Nissan Leaf was 3rd, with 396 deliveries, keeping the previous year good pace, while the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV surprised everyone by delivering 322 units, its best result since 2016, winning already precious advantage over the rest of the PHEV competition, in the race for the 2019 edition of the category trophy.
Without the shackles of battery constraints, the Renault Zoe and Hyundai Ioniq Electric continue racking up sales, with the French hatchback hitting a record 237 registrations, while the Kia Niro EV is already in the Top 10, with 155 deliveries.
Outside the Top 10, the Land Rover siblings scored close to 100 deliveries in one month, not only a new record, but also representing 90% of both nameplates total deliveries.
Last, but definitely not the least, the Tesla Model 3 shows up in #13, with 40 deliveries, no doubt still demonstration units that were distributed across Europe for test drives, with some 3,000 final orders said to be already made in The Netherlands, the Californian midsizer is sure to take the 2019 Best Selling EV title, and probably also the Best Selling midsizer prize.
As an introduction to its opponents, here are the current best selling midsizers: Volvo S/V60 (747 units), BMW 3-Series (424) and Mercedes C-Class (298).
Outside the Top 20, a mention to the BMW i8, with 12 registrations, that managed to beat the Porsche 911 (10 units), losing only to the Mercedes-AMG GT (13) the title of Best Selling Sports Car.
In the manufacturers ranking, Hyundai started the year in the lead, with 21% share, closely followed by Volkswagen (20%), while Nissan (12%) closed the podium, ahead of Mitsubishi (10%).
Plugins & Hybrids
Pl
|
Model
|
Sales
|
1
|
VW e-Golf
|
653
|
2
|
Hyundai Kona EV
|
536
|
3
|
Kia Niro HEV
|
452
|
4
|
Toyota Yaris Hybrid
|
416
|
5
|
Nissan Leaf
|
396
|
Comparing this ranking with January '18, there are significant changes, back then, the best selling plugin (VW e-Golf) was 3rd, with only one other plugin (Hyundai Ioniq Electric) present in the Top 5.
Now, it's the other way around, the best selling hybrid (Kia Niro HEV) is only 3rd, with only one other hybrid (Yaris) among the Top 5.
How the tables have turned...Hear that, Toyota?
It makes a lot of sense to sell a SUV/Crossover as EV. Also sports cars are a good segment for EV as performance counts and price is a secondary issue. However, it makes no sense to sell sedans in the mass market as EV. So Model 3 is completely misplaced. It is not cheap and it is not a sports car and it is not a family car. Model 3 has in my opinion nowhere to go.
ReplyDeleteIn US roads are wide and space is no problem. Long sleek body results in good aerodynamics, better economy. In Europe Golf and Kona are more appropriate for most downtown areas.
ReplyDeleteGreat numbers and always nice to see new additions to the sales chart ranking. By the way Jose, those Tesla Model 3 are already European Specification (orange turn signals, CCS plug, Km/h speedmeter)? You mention they are demonstration drives to other european markets, this means later on Tesla will deregister them in the Netherlands?
ReplyDeleteYes, they are euro-spec Model 3's. Regarding the deregistration in The Netherlands, i guess most will return to Dutch roads after more units land in Europe.
DeleteCurrently, there is only 1692 Model 3 orders in the Netherlands. Let's say 1700 for good measures. I am sure when the mid-range model comes out we will see another 500-1000. The leaf sold 3370 in the Netherlands last year and I expect that to go up by a few hundred more because of the new model coming out. I think 1st place will be the Leaf and second place the Model 3.
ReplyDeleteYou were so off! First life lesson: "Don't let your hate to blind you!". Even in a relatively poor country like mine, Portugal, people are so enthusiast about Tesla and so many are stretching their budget to buy one (which is not good, but when you love something you don't count).
DeleteI made a small experiment using a Tesla polo in a mall last Saturday, and the look on the faces of so many people (in younger people even more) were so friendly, even a certain complicity was noticeable. No doubt, this company is disrupting the game...
Don't really know why all this deliberate hate against Tesla Model 3 on this blog, there are already more than 3800 orders in the Netherlands...
ReplyDeletehttps://insideevs.com/tesla-model-3-orders-europe-20000/
I think Model 3 will be a great hit this year purely from a production number standpoint. Tesla can deliver! Also, in the higher business lease segment the fast luxury sedan still has some appeal. The Tesla brand also appeals to many for the tech and performance.
ReplyDeleteI think the Niro will also be very popular, it's the perfect family car for the Dutch market. The hatchback cross over design with good space and performance makes it a very good business lease proposition. More so than the Kona.
I do think Nissan Leaf and especially Renault Zoe will suffer from these new players. Even though massive growth of the EV market is to be expected this year.
What happened to I-Pace? In December they sold 2500 in Holland in January just 15?! There are no I-Pace sold in Germany, sales in USA dropped to 1000 from 2000 and a 0% lease is now offered... There are some production problems, or they could not sell them despite all the brilliant reviews? What is the production rate of I-Pace?
ReplyDeletein Jan 1ts, 2019, there were fiscal changes in The Netherlands, that penalized expensive BEVs, so Jaguar sent out many i-Paces before the end of the year, so it's natural that the i-Pace (And the Teslas S/X, and the Audi e-Tron…) start the year with low sales.
DeleteLet's see how the following months go.