Global Top 20 January 2020

Models: Renault Zoe shines in disrupting market

Registrations were down 7% YoY in January, to over 150,000 units, marking the 7th straight monthly drop in a row, with Europe's three-digit growth failing to completely replace the  Chinese fall into the abyss (-50% YoY).

Last month, BEVs dropped 23% YoY, while PHEVs grew 37%, their biggest growth rate since November 2018, allowing them to recover from 26% of sales last year, to the current 31%, while the Global PEV share already hit 2% last month. 

Despite this start of the year in the red, and the current Corona Vírus crisis, the second half of the year should see the return to growth, even if the growth rates could be limited to low tens. 

With the current disruption in China, as 9 of the models in January's Top 20 weren't there one month ago, and two of them had their first full sales month in January!

Excepting the fleet-friendly #18 FAW Besturn B30 EV and the export-friendly #15, SAIC MG ZS EV, all the other additions to the Top 20 came from Legacy OEMs, with the most spectacular additions being the Peugeot's 208 EV and 3008 PHEV, that right in their first full sales month, jumped to #7 and #16, respectively, but the nost unexpected model to joind the table was the Chevrolet Bolt(!), that had a surprising sales uptick in the USA, allowing it to return to the table, after and absence of well over a year.

It is still too early to know if this a freak event, or not, but despite all these changes, the Top Dog remained the same, with the Tesla Model 3 winning its 12th consecutive monthly win, thanks to to 10.013 units, a 37% growth rate, a slower growth rate that proves the Tesla midsizer is maturing and coming closer to its full potential.

Bit not all is good news for the Californian maker, because while the Big Tesla's being left out of the Top 20 in January isn't much of a news (same thing happened a year ago, and in the end of the year, both were in the Top 20), but comparing last month deliveries with January '19, the Model X was down 19%, while the Model S fared even worse, at -32%...Worse still, counting both together, it was the 12th straight month of falling sales. That refresh is sorely needed, Tesla...  

Elsewhere, the Renault Zoe had its best month (by far) in January, edging close to 10.000 registrations and giving the Tesla Model 3 some proper fight, something that the Tesla  midsizer hadn't experienced in a year...

The Volkswagen Group also had reasons to smile about, with the VW Passat PHEV jumping to #5, and the VW e-Golf reaching #8 (thanks to generous discounts), while the Audi e-Tron was #10, making 3 models of the German conglomerate in the Top 10.  

A mention to the Volvo XC60 PHEV, in #17, confirming the success of this midzise SUV, while the BMW i3 fell 10 spots, to #20, having seen its sales drop by 29% YoY. Is the quirky hatchback losing its appeal? 

Finally, the #21 BMW X5 PHEV is getting ready to join the Top 20, having registered a record 2.044 registrations, apparently confirming also the success of the formula "> battery = > sales" in the PHEV field. Now, if they only gave it fast-charging abilities...

Manufacturers: BMW wins January

January saw BMW win the monthly Manufacturers title, thanks to some 13.000 units (+128% YoY), as the automaker is pushing production of its PHEVs, milking everything it can from them. 

Tesla was pushed to the Second Spot, but not by much (197 units), and should resume the leadership next month,  but the most striking aspect of last month Manufacturers table is the fall from grace of the Chinese makers, the highest placed, BYD, was just #6, while several Legacy OEMs had startup-like growth rates and are among the Best Sellers, not only BMW grew at a three-digit growth rate, but the #4 Volkswagen (+107%) also did it and Renault (+144%) scored its 2nd record result in a row, crossing for the first time the 10.000 units mark, with the French car maker ending the month on the podium.

But this is nothing compared with Peugeot, that just in the month of January, registered more plugin units than in the full two previous years...

Coming down in the table, #9 Volvo is also at full charge, scoring its second record performance in a row, thanks to 5.937 units, while Audi and Porsche(!) joined the Top 20, with the first in #10 and the second in #18, making three brands of the Volkswagen Group in the Top 20.

In fact, looking at registrations by Automotive Group, the German juggernaut was #1, with over 21.000 units. Not bad for what is only the first month of their Year Zero, in the Group's Plan to Rule the EV World... 

Interestingly, a year ago, the Best Selling Legacy OEM was Nissan, while now it is only the 9th Best Selling Legacy Brand (and #12 in the table), having seen its sales drop by 32% YoY...It seems the train has left the station and Nissan is waving it goodbye, watching it go away, while sitting in the bench and thinking: "Mmmm...Maybe Carlos wasn't that bad, after all..."

But the tumble of the month went for BAIC, that dropped from #3 last year, to #19, with only 2.451 deliveries.

But for every drop, there is a climb, and two manufacturers profiting from the Chinese OEM drops were Mercedes, jumping to #15, and Chevrolet, in #16.

 

With February said to be a cataclysm regarding sales in China, expect a couple more Legacy Brands to join the Top 20 next month, with Skoda, DS and Opel as strong candidates for it.

Europe January 2020

Renault Zoe shines in hot market

The European passenger plug-in market registered a near-record 75,000 registrations in January (+121%!), this being the first time since 2015 that the European EV market scores a three-digit growth rate, with PHEVs (+174% YoY) growing faster than BEVs (+89%), with the powertrain breakdown becoming more balanced between both, although BEVs still have the upper hand  (52% BEVs / 48% PHEVs vs 64% / 36% in 2019). 

Last month brilliant sales result, added to a falling overall market (-7% YoY), allowed the 2020 plugin share to start at a record 6.6% (3.5% for BEVs alone), almost doubling the final 2019 PEV (3.6%).

Will the plugin share touch the 10% ceiling this year? Now that would be fun...Wouldn’t it? Please place your bets. 

In January, several models profited from the start of the 2020 CO2 counting system to  perform record results, and none did it more spectacularly than the Renault Zoe, with the French hatchback scoring close to 10,000 units, a spectacular opening salvo for 2020.

But the Renault EV will face some stiff competition this year, and the fiercest of them all is the Peugeot 208 EV, that jumped immediately to #2 in its first full month on the market, with an impressive 3,897 units, but PSA’s EV deployment didn’t ended there, with 3 other models landing immediately in the Top 20, as we had the crossover Peugeot 3008 PHEV in 6th, the (most beautiful) midsizer Peugeot 508 PHEV in #15 and finally, the crossover Opel Grandland X PHEV, in #18.

So PSA, who had never, ever, registered over 1,000 plugin registrations in one month, all of the sudden, scores over 12,000 units...In January alone.  

And the Opel Corsa EV and Peugeot 2008 EV are still in ramp up mode...

Another impressive performance is of the veteran VW e-Golf, 3rd last month with a record 3,296 units, with Volkswagen milking it to the extreme (as in, heavy discounting), the German hatchback is having a second life, as if the old geezer was saying: “ID-who? Never heard of it!”

Interestingly, the EV podium, with the #1 Zoe, #2 208 and #3 e-Golf, is starting to resemble the overall market, in 2019 the Best Selling Car in Europe was the VW Golf, followed by the Renault Clio (ICE equivalent to the Zoe) in #2, while the Peugeot 208 was #6. 

As plugins make inroads into the mainstream market in Europe (and more models are available as plugins), it starts to become natural that mainstream buyer tastes start to influence the EV table, with this last one starting to look a lot more like the overall market.

Looking at the Monthly Models Ranking:

#1 Renault Zoe– The 9,782 deliveries of January meant tripling sales and the French hatchback best result ever, meaning that the production ramp up of the revised version is up and ready to satisfy whatever demand there is. Also,it is ready to start 2020 on a full charge, because it has allowed it to already open a significant distance over the competition, something that might prove useful further along the year. Back to January, France pulled the usual heavy lifting, with over 5,000 units, anew record, but it wasn’t the only record score, in Germany the Zoe also had a four-digit score, with 1,798 units, with Norway (533 units) and Southern Europe (410 units in Italy, 397 in Spain, 230 in Portugal) also helping to the Zoe’s outstanding result.

#2 Peugeot 208 EV – Apparently the production ramp up of the French hatchback is doing fine, as the striking model hit 3,897 units last month, winning its first monthly podium seat, highlighting the fact that 208 EV has good growth prospects for 2020, especially considering that its career is barely starting now, with a number of markets still without units. While its home market (2,537 units) pulled out the heavy lifting, it wasn’t just France doing all the hard work, as the UK (400 units), Italy (318) and Spain (231) also helped the Peugeot EV to reach the runner up spot.

#3 Volkswagen e-Golf– The evergreen German model hit  a record 3,296 units last month, up 95%(!) YoY, which is an amazing result for a model that is supposed to be in sunset-mode for months now and has its sucessor now ramping up production in the Zwickau factory. It seems VW is going all in into plugins (well, with the CO2 rules now in place, it has to), milking everything it can from its current best selling electric model. Regarding January performances, the Volkswagen EV main markets were Germany (1,120), Netherlands (304), Norway (497) and the UK (600). 

#4 Nissan Leaf– The Japanese hatchback was up 17% in January (Yey!!!), to 3,177 units, with the Nissan EV winning a bit of charge and keeping up with the best, mostly thanks to promotions (as in, discounts), in a few markets. As such, looking at individual countries, the UK (900 units) was its largest market, 

followed by Norway (366), France (360) and Ireland (296).

  

#5 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV– The Japanese SUV was up 11% last month, to 3,149 units, with the Mitsubishi workhorse benefitting from its unique formula (lots of utility and space, for not that much money) to continue running with the best, following the EV bubble growth. Looking at individual countries, Germany (868 units) and the UK (600), were its largest markets, with the following being Sweden (427) and Norway (303).

Peugeot 508 PHEV

Looking at the remaining ranking, besides the thunderous arrival of the PSA team, we should also notice the 10th spot of the new BMW X5 PHEV, with a record 1,974 units, proving that big batteries also help plugin hybrids to increase sales, while two other plugin hybrids also shined, with the #11 VW Passat GTE scoring its best result since 2016 (1,890 units), while the #12 Volvo XC60 PHEV registered a record 1,761 units.

In the BEV field, there were a couple of significant developments, with the BMW i3 dropping to #13, having seen its sales drop 22% YoY (are the first wrinkles starting to show?), while the #16 Kia Niro EV registered its best score in 10 months, with 1,310 units, although i keep finding it an underwhelming performance, considering the success of its cousin, the #9 Hyundai Kona EV. 

Outside the Top 20, we have a few surprises, like the Audi Q5 PHEV, with 1,162 units, the Skoda Citigo EV (1,097), VW e-Up (916) and Seat e-Mii EV (553) triplets, that counted together would be #6 in the table, while both DS’s, the 3 Crossback and 7 Crossback, scored around 1,000 units each.

In the manufacturers ranking, Renault (13%), BMW (12%), and Peugeot (10%) are all running for the leadership, while Volkswagen (8%) is looking for a chance to join the podium.

China January 2020

 

Tesla Model 3 shines in disrupted market

After the December sales peak, January signaled the expected hangover, but with some 49,000 passenger PEVs, the numbers were worse than expected, as sales fell 50% YoY. 

While it is true that January had fewer selling days, because the Chinese New Year this time happened in that month, and the Corona Vírus could have started to make itself felt in the second half of the month, the fact is that both events also hit the regular automotive market, and yet the overall market saw its registrations drop just 22%.

As a consequence of this, the PEV share started the year at 3.2% (2.3% BEV), a step below from the 5.5% of 2019, but we hope that after all the doom and gloom currently happening here, the second half of the year witnesses the return to growth in China.

Last month, the Chinese OEMs represented roughly 64% of all PEVs registered, a significant drop, especially considering that in 2019 they had around 85% of the market.

So, as it wasn’t enough for local OEMs the fact that plugin sales were dropping by half, they also saw their grip on the native market being lost, in favor of foreign brands, like Tesla and others… 

In January, plug-in hybrids better less worse (-28% YoY) than pure electric models (-56%), allowing them to recover some relevance in the market, as they represented 29% of sales, up 9% regarding 2019.

Proving that foreign models are weathering the storm better than local brands, for the first time we have three foreigners in the Top 5, and the Tesla Model 3 even managed to win the January Best Seller trophy, a first for a foreign model in China.

Here’s January Top 5 Best Selling models individual performance:

#1 – Tesla Model 3

The poster-child for electric mobility delivered 3,183 units, (including 578 imports), winning its first monthly Best Sellers title, a first for any foreign model here. And while it’s not (yet) the disruptive result that many expect from the Tesla sedan, let’s remember it was still the first full month of the Made-in-China Model 3, so the sporty silhouette of the Model 3 should become a common sighting in Chinese streets soon.

#2 – SAIC Roewe Ei5

This model was something of a shot in a dark for the Shanghai Auto, as station wagons aren’t common in China, but it has paid off, as the nameplate became the 2^nd best selling plugin of SAIC’s stable last year, and now in 2020 the compact wagon came close to win its first monthly Best Seller award, losing only to the Tesla midsizer by 115 units. Still, with 3,068 units, it was its best performance since June or, as it now starting to be known, BSC (Before the Subsidies Change). Based on the GM platform Delta II (think Chevrolet Cruze, Opel Astra, or the Buick Velite 6 sibling), the Chinese wagon profits from a quality design and unique body, and SAIC is now said to be preparing its introduction in Europe later in the year, as an MG, where I am sure many wagon-lovers will buy it.

#3 – BMW 530Le

The rise and rise of BMW’s luxury sedan in China is impressive in more than one way, first the steady increase in demand, regardless of the surrounding depressing environment, and second, the full-size sedan is running in the top positions with much cheaper models, as the 2^nd best selling full-size model (Li Xiang One) had a third of its sales. Winning its first podium position last month (and for the first time we have two foreigners in the Podium), with 3,000 units, the Bimmer sedan continues to thrive, even without access to subsidies (then again, let’s face it, subsidies for cars at this price level don’t really make that much of a difference, the owners just use the money for some nicer alloys or optional creature comforts…), so the undisputed leader in the Luxury category should continue selling around 3,000 units per month, which is well above its direct competitors, that are happy to reach 1,000 units in one month.

#4 – GAC Aion S

Things continue to go well for the Aion S, with the sleek sedan securing another Top 5 presence, thanks to 2,648 units. And before the GAC fans out there (“Everybody from Guangzhou, put your hands up, put your hands up…”), mention the Toyota iA5, I should remember y’all that if we count the badge-engineered Toyota sedan into the Aion S tally, it is after all, just an “S” with a Toyota badge, then GAC’s Model 3-inspired sedan would have been January’s Best Seller. 

#5 – VW Passat PHEV

First of all, a disclosure: this moniker includes two different plugin hybrid models, both named “Passat”. Confused? Then, let’s explain, the Made-in-China Passat, which is based, but not the same, of the larger US-made VW Passat, has a PHEV version that makes up for most of sales of the moniker. But Volkswagen also imports direcly from Germany to China the slightly smaller VW Passat GTE, that Europeans are used to see in their streets, adding a few hundreds of units to the tally. Now that we have this out of the way, the German moniker had 2,217 units, confirming its role of bread and butter model for the brand, at least until the MEB-based models don’t arrive to Chinese lands.

Li Xiang One

Outside the Top 5, and even in the midst of the current dark scenery, there are a few Ray of Lights, like the good behavior of the local EV Startups, with 4 representatives in the Top 20, with the NIO ES6 jumping to #6, thanks to 1,493 units, the Li Xiang One full size SUV landing with a bang in #14 and 1,180 units, starting its career immediately as the full-size SUV leader, while the Weltmeister EX5 is #16, and the Neta N01 from Hozon surprisingly joins the Top 20, in #18.

Toyota(!) also joined the ranking, and not with one model, but two(!), although we should remember that the Toyota iA5 is a badge-engineered GAC Aion S, so…It should be counted as GAC, right? 

And by the way, if we were to add the IA5 to the Aion S tally, the GAC electric model would have been January’s Best Seller, with 3,884 units…

Anyway, the Toyota Corolla PHEV made it to the Top 20, in #19, being the fifth plugin hybrid in the ranking. 

Looking at the manufacturers ranking, the current disruption is being felt, with SAIC and BYD sharing the leadership, both with 14% share (BYD is ahead by 120 units), all while Tesla and BMW (both with 7%) are chasing the new #3 GAC, with 9% share. 

Denmark January 2020

VW e-Golf stuns in fast growing market (7% Share!)

Sales continue to grow fast in Denmark, with the 1.286 units registered last month meaning a 99% growth rate, placing the 2020 PEV share at 6.9% in the first month of the year, a stark departure from the 4,2% of last year, which was helped by a 12% drop in the overall market.

The VW e-Golf came out of nowhere to the leadership in 2020, with an amazing 180 registrations, when its previous best in Denmark had been just 17 units, back in December 2015...Could this unexpected result have been the result of a fleet deal? Can anyone confirm this?

The German hatchback was closely followed by another veteran model scoring a record result, with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV registering a record 172 units, while the #3 Kia Optima PHEV also performed a record score, with 107 units.

Just outside the Podium, we have another Kia model, the #4 Niro PHEV, with 96 units, while the Peugeot plugin hybrids landed with a bang, with the crossover 3008 PHEV landing in #5, with 83 units, while the midsizer 508 PHEV was #7, with 61 units. 

Between the two French models, we have the Nissan Leaf, in #7, with its 72 registrations representing the model's best performance in this market in the last 15 months, a rare beam of hope for the Japanese model in the present days.

In the Manufacturers ranking, Volkswagen (22%) is the Best Seller, closely followed by Kia (20%) in Second Place, and Mitsubishi (13%) in a distant Third Spot, while Peugeot (11%) is on the lookout to get a podium position soon.

Finland January 2020

Volvo: Big in Finland

14% Share!

Despite a harsh climate and small incentives, Finland has become a major plug-in market, thanks to some impressive growth rates, with 2020 continuing with the outlandish (+132% YoY) rates, and with the mainstream market falling significantly (-8% YoY), the 2020 PEV Share started at an amazing 14%, the first time the yearly share goes into two-digits, thanks to a record 1.443 registrations last month.

This continues to be a PHEV-friendly market, with BEVs representing just 12% of sales, as the 100% PHEV Top 10 shows. The Best Selling BEV last month was the Renault Zoe, that managed to score a record 29 registrations, ahead of nameplates like the Tesla Model 3 (13 units), Nissan Leaf (21), Hyundai Kona EV (25), or the Audi e-Tron (20).

Looking at the models ranking, Volvo got a 1-2 win, with the XC60 PHEV and S/V60 PHEV models starting 2020 where they ended 2019, and with record performances to boot, with these two Swede models alone securing 25% of the market for the brand.

But the surprise of the month was the thunderous landing of the Skoda Superb PHEV, jumping straight into #3, with 95 registrations, confirming the local taste for midsize wagons (there are 4 of them in this Top 10).

Another recent landing is the BMW X5 PHEV, that has started ramping up deliveries and started the year in #5, with a record 80 registrations, becoming the Best Selling BMW in the table, ahead of the #6 BMW 530e and #8 BMW 330e.

Another two recent reinforcements in the plugin bandwagon are the Audi Q5 PHEV, in #8, and the #10 Mercedes C300e/de twins.

Looking at the manufacturers ranking, Volvo (32%) is a comfortable leader, with BMW (16%) in Second and #3 Volkswagen (8%), keeping a close lead over the #4 Skoda (7%).

Czech Republic January 2020

Skoda makes home market jump to 3% share

The PEV Market in Czech Republic had an historic month in January, with over 600 units registered last month, up 6-fold, with the PEV Share jumping to 3.2%, this being the first time the 1% mark is crossed...And it was done in a big way!

Both powertrain registrations jumped through the roof, with BEVs representing 62% of sales.

This is evidenced by the local heroes Skoda Citigo EV and Skoda Superb PHEV, that on their first real full month on the market, registered 428 units in total, being responsible for a mammoth 69%(!) of the market.

Looking at the remaining 2020 models ranking, Hyundai is the best selling foreign brand, with the #3 Ioniq EV and #4 Kona EV scoring record performances, followed by the #5 Tesla Model 3, with 10 deliveries.

A special mention for the 5 models tied in #6, with BMW placing 2 models (i3 and the new X5 PHEV), along the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and VW Passat GTE, while the Renault Zoe scored a record 7 registrations.

In the brands ranking, Skoda in the lead, with 69% share, followed from a far by Hyundai, with 13%, and BMW (5%).