Koreans on the rise
PEV sales are up in Iceland (+60%) this year, pulling the 2020 PEV market share to 37% (18% BEV), the second largest in the World, and a full 12% above the 2019 score. And to think that not long ago, in 2017, we were celebrating reaching 14% share...
Looking at the models ranking, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV reigns supreme here, already winning a sizeable distance from this year sensation, the Audi e-Tron, in a fantastic 2nd spot, with 54 units.
In fact, as the plugin market merges with the mainstream market, it starts to reflect increasingly the overall tastes, and in Iceland, due to their harsh climate, SUVs are a favorite, the bigger, the better, so it's no wonder that we have 3 full size SUVs (Audi e-Tron, BMW X5 PHEV, Volvo XC90 PHEV) in the PEV Top 10, with two other midsize (Outlander PHEV and Volvo XC60 PHEV) also showing up.
In this context, the real surprises are the 9th spot of the VW Golf GTE (yes, still the Gen. 7 version), that last month registered 12 units, its best score since August 2018, while the Renault Zoe is #10, tied with the Kia Niro EV and Kia Optima PHEV, with the French hatchback delivering 13 units in February, its best performance in almost 3 years.
Below the Top 10, a reference to the landing of the BMW X3 PHEV, with 13 units, while the Volvo XC40 PHEV also made its debut in Iceland, with 9 units, so both are strong contenders to show in the table, just like the Tesla Model 3, that delivered 11 units last month, its best score since its landing month, in the Summer of last year.
Below the Top 10, a reference to the landing of the BMW X3 PHEV, with 13 units, while the Volvo XC40 PHEV also made its debut in Iceland, with 9 units, so both are strong contenders to show in the table, just like the Tesla Model 3, that delivered 11 units last month, its best score since its landing month, in the Summer of last year.
In the brands ranking, the market is pretty balanced, Mitsubishi (13%) is still in the leadership, but the runner-up Volkswagen (12%) is dangerously close, but so is the #3 Volvo (11%), and the #4 Audi (10%), so a lot can still happen here.
Models Breakdown by Fuel Source (Draft)
Pl
|
Model
|
2020
Sales |
1
|
Mitsu. Outlander PHEV
|
80
|
2
|
Dacia Duster
|
78
|
2
|
Audi e-Tron
|
54
|
4
|
Nissan Leaf
|
51
|
5
|
Kia Sportage
|
45
|
In a market where plugins now have over 30% share, plug-ins are becoming more and more synonym with overall best sellers, despite not having full access to the mainstream models ranking, we can estimate how the Best Sellers ranking is right now.
Looking at the hypothetical overall Top 5 best sellers, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is racing with the Dacia Duster ICE model for Best Seller status, while the Audi e-Tron is now the nation favorite full-size SUV, followed by the #4 Nissan Leaf, currently the 2nd Best Selling car * in Iceland.
As plug-ins continue to increase share, expect at some point in 2020 this Top 5 to be 100% PEV, with PHEVs winning customers that previously went to unplugged hybrids.
* - Adding the BEV and PHEV versions of the VW Golf, together with a few ICE units, the German hatchback is the Best Selling Car.
* - Adding the BEV and PHEV versions of the VW Golf, together with a few ICE units, the German hatchback is the Best Selling Car.
Given that this market has been rather PHEV-heavy in the past, I'm guessing much of the growth this year is coming from BEVs?
ReplyDeleteStill trying to understand what's up with Tesla: is it totally flopping in this market for some reason -- or have official deliveries still not really ramped up?...
ReplyDeleteOfficial deliveries have started, but for some reason, sales are not picking up.
DeleteWell, we don't know whether it's a lack of orders, or they are slow-walking deliveries for some reason -- do we? Though I can't think of a good reason for the latter...
DeleteSo, apparently they started taking orders in September, but haven't had started actual deliveries until now... March numbers are looking VERY different :-)
DeleteNice! :)
Delete