Portugal December 2019

The EV King in Portugal

Nissan Leaf holds on to the Best Seller title

PEV Sales were on the fast lane in 2019, growing 54% regarding 2018, to 12.703 units (1.354 units in December alone, only 4 less than the record set last October), allowing the 2019 market share to hit a new all time high (5,7% PEV share, 7,5% in December alone). Will we see it reach 10% in 2020?

After winning in 2018, the Nissan Leaf had to work extra-time to keep the 2019 models title, as the Tesla Model 3 finished just 119 behind, forcing the Japanese hatchback to hit a new all time high for a plugin in this market, with 1.662 units, being its 5th title, after the 2010, 2011, 2016 and 2018 awards.

This time, the Renault Zoe was relegated to #3, seeing its sales drop 26% YoY, all because of the hiccups deved from the recent restyling. 

Outside the podium, the company car market is making itself felt, with the #4 Mercedes E300e/de twins being the (not so) surprise winner of the PHEV category, adding it to the Luxury car trophy, beating its arch rival, the #5 BMW 530e, that must have been suffering from internal competition from its smaller sibling, the new 330e, that ended in 6th.

But the BMW Group didn't ended there, as the small and spicy BMW i3 ended the year rising to #7, thanks to a record performance of 102 deliveries, an impressive result for a model that is over six-years old, while in #9 we have the Mini Countryman PHEV and in #10 the BMW 225xe Active Tourer, making it 5 models from the Group in the Top 10!

Elsewhere, a mention to the last minute climbs of the Mercedes C300e/de twins, to #14, with the Volvo S/V60 PHEV twins also doing the same, in this case to #15.

With 4 midsize cars on the Top 20, one can say: #company cars rule.

Finally, a reference to the Porsche Cayenne PHEV joining the table in the last minutes, in #20, displacing the Smart Forfour EV.  

Funny enough, Porsche's SUV was the best selling plugin coming from the VW Group, doubling the registrations of the VW e-Golf! Imagine that!

In the manufacturers ranking, BMW (21%, up 2%) won its fourth title in a row, with Tesla (16%, up 1%) in Second Place, while Nissan (13%, down 1%) won the last place of the podium.

Interestingly, the best selling brand outside the podium was Mercedes(!), with 10% share, with the local importer seeing its efforts in the company car segment being rewarded with a #4 spot, ahead of Renault, with 8%.

Finally, looking at 2020, the Tesla Model 3 should continue go after the Best Seller title, probably reaching 2,000 units, while one wonders if the Nissan Leaf will have enough life in it to run at the same pace as the Californian.

Expect also the Renault Zoe to recover sales and the BMW 330e to become the new darling of the company car audience, possibly pulling it into the PHEV leadership and maybe even a podium position.

Midsize Car Best Sellers

Pl	Model	2019 Sales
1	BMW 3-Series	2.216
2	Mercedes C-Class	2.156
3	Tesla Model 3	1.543
4	BMW 4-Series	1.172
5	Peugeot 508	1.131

The Tesla Model 3 is only 3rd, behind the moderately electrified BMW 3-Series (29% of registrations coming from the PHEV version) and Mercedes C-Class (15%)

Outside the podium, we have the unplugged BMW 4-Series and Peugeot 508, and with this last model weeks away from starting delivering its PHEV versions, expect soon the 4-Series to be the only unchargable model here.

Midsize SUV Best Sellers

Pl	Model	2019 Sales
1	Mercedes GLC	1.004
2	Volvo XC60	858
3	Mitsubishi Outlander	706
4	Jaguar i-Pace	540
5	BMW X3	489

This SUV category is moderately electrified, although we still have the unplugged Mercedes GLC on top, with the BMW X3 closing the Top 5, the #3 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (64% of all Outlander registrations) and the #2 Volvo XC60 (41% of sales belonged to the PHEV version), along the fully electric Jaguar i-Pace make a majority of pluggable models here.

With the BMW X3 PHEV said to land soon, and the VW ID.4x, among others, landing throughout the year, we could see a fully electrified Top 5 sometime next year. 

Full size Car Best Sellers

Pl	Model	2019 Sales
1	Mercedes E-Class	1.733
2	BMW 5-Series	1.643
3	Volvo S/V90	317
3	Audi A6	317
5	Tesla Model S	243

In the full size car category, electrification is pretty advanced, not only we have the fully electric Tesla Model S in 5th, but also the two front runners have a large degree of electrification, with the leader Mercedes E-Class owing 50% of its sales from its plugin versions, while the #2 BMW 5-Series has 45% of registrations belonging to the PHEV version, and even the #3 Volvo S/V90 twins (41%) has a significant degree of electrification.

With the Audi A6 soon to be electrified and the Porsche Taycan landing in a few months, this segment is sure to continue being on the forefront of electrification.

Full size SUV Best Sellers

Pl	Model	2019 Sales
1	LR Range Rover Sport	225
2	Porsche Cayenne	207
3	Volvo XC90	198
4	Tesla Model X	193
5	BMW X5	160

The full size SUV category seems to be the most advanced segment when it comes to electrification, not only we have 1 BEV nameplate in the top 5 positions (#4 Tesla Model X), but we have also a fully electrified Top 5, with the podium bearers having a large degree of electrification (82% for the Range Rover Sport, 76% for the Cayenne, 44% for the XC90).

Add this to the fact that the #5 BMW X5 (6%) is still ramping up production of its interesting PHEV version, and the electrification rate should only go higher. And don't forget the incoming Mercedes GLE PHEV, with 100 kms electric range and fast charging is also coming soon!

These are surely welcome news in one of the most polluting vehicle segments.

Spain December 2019

Tesla Model 3 wins in Spain

The Spanish plug-in market is growing fast, with the 2019 tally ending at over 17.000 units, a 53% increase over the 2018 result, allowing the 2019 PEV Share to end at a record 1.4%, the first year this market crosses the important 1% threshold. 

Interestingly, BEVs grew faster (+70% YoY) than PHEVs, pulling the BEV share to 58%, 6% above the 2018 result.

Looking at last month best sellers, the big news were both Smart nameplates pulling Year Best results, with the Forfour EV reaching 173 units and becoming the December Best Seller, allowing it to climb one position in December and end the year in #9, while its two-seater sibling ended the year in #11. 

The final results of the 2019 ranking crowned the Tesla Model 3 as the Best Seller, although it had to keep a close eye on the runner-up Nissan Leaf, with the Japanese hatchback repeating last year standing.

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was preparing itself to repeat the Bronze Medal and the Best Selling PHEV title of last year, but the Mini Countryman PHEV pulled out a strong end of the year (455 units in Q4), removing the Japanese SUV from the 3rd spot in the last days of December, and allowing the British Crossover to win its first podium position and Best Selling PHEV title.

Other models with great performances in the last month of the year were the VW e-Golf, that thanks to 136 registrations last month, managed to climb one position to #7, ending the year with 941 units, tripling(!) its 2018 result, while both Porsche models also shined, with the #20 Panamera PHEV registering 33 units, a new year best, while the Cayenne did even better, by delivering 108 units, allowing it to jump four positions, to #15.

On the other hand, the 2018 Best Seller, the Renault Zoe, had a bad year, registering just 1.051 units, down 26% YoY, ending 2019 in 5th.

On the manufacturers ranking, the race was pretty close, with BMW (11%) finally winning the trophy, with a 102 units advantage over Tesla (11%), while Nissan (10%) won the Bronze medal.

Outside the podium, Hyundai (9%) ended in 4th, with Smart (8%) and Mini (8%) following close.

Looking at this year race, sales will continue to grow fast, with the plugin share reaching 2% by year end, with a number of candidates willing to remove the Model 3 from the throne, the Renault Zoe will try to recover its mojo in 2020, the Hyundai Kona EV will build on its current result, while the Peugeot EVs (208 and 2008) will surely be among the Top 10, and the VW ID.3 will also be a model to follow closely.

Iceland December 2019

25% Share!

After years of three digit sales growth, registrations were down in 2019 (-16%) this year, but because the mainstream market is dropping like a rock (-32%(!) YoY), the PEV share managed to keep on growing, with 2019 ending at a record 25%, up from 19% in 2018, and 14% in 2017, making it the 2nd highest share in the world. 

Which begs the question: How much further north of 30% PEV share will the final 2020 share be?

Looking at this year Best Sellers in the Models ranking, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV won another title, its 4th in a row, with 603 units, confirming its popularity in this market, while doubling the result of the runner-up Nissan Leaf got yet another runner-up spot, its 4th in a row. (Am i seeing a pattern here?...)

In the remaining podium position, the surprise was the VW e-Golf displacing the usual Bronze medalist Volvo XC90 PHEV (which was down to 5th), to win a podium position, the first for the German brand since 2016, when the VW Golf GTE was also 3rd.

Elsewhere, a mention to two new models that have big ambitions for 2020, with the new BMW X5 PHEV (added with a few units of the old generation) ending in 10th, tied with another newcomer, the new VW Passat GTE, that inclusively won the December trophy, which says a lot about the possibilities of the VW midsizer here.

Will we see major changes in the podium this year?

In the brands ranking, Mitsubishi (21%) won the trophy, its 4th (3rd in a row), with Volvo (12%) ending in Second, while #3 Nissan (10%) fought a hard race with Kia and Volkswagen to keep the 3rd place, managing to end ahead of them by a thread.

In a market where plugins are hovering above 20% share, plug-ins are becoming common on the overall best sellers, despite not having full access to the mainstream models ranking, what we have got is enough to make a draft.

As such, the best selling model was the Toyota RAV4, thanks to the Hybrid version, followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, with the Dacia Duster closing the podium, while the Nissan Leaf managed to end the year with tin the Top 10.

Norway December 2019

Tesla wins both titles, with PEV share hitting 56%

Despite the sales drop (-16% YoY) in December, the Norwegian plugin had a positive year, growing a moderate 10%, that added to the 4% drop on the mainstream market, helped the plugin share to grow, to 56% share (42% for BEVs alone), a 7% increase over the 2017 PEV share (49%).

In this context, 2020 could see Norway reach some 66% PEV share.

Proof of this never ending electric rise is the final 2019 fuel mix numbers, with diesel vehicles ending with 16% share (it was 18% in 2018), with gasoline declining faster (16% vs 22% a year ago), while regular hybrids remained stable (12% vs 11%), and PHEVs dropped from 18% a year ago, to the current 14%.

Models breakdown by Fuel Source

Looking at December best sellers, we have two unplugged models, with the Skoda Octávia, registering an amazing 431 registrations (fleet deal? taxis?), while the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid rounds up the table, in #10.

Anyway, looking at December Best Sellers, we see the Tesla Model 3 winning the monthly title, with 1.251 deliveries, with the VW e-Golf  (525 units) winning Silver, with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV completing the podium.

Elsewhere, besides the aforementioned two BEVs in the podium, there are 3 other BEVs in the Top 10, making it 5 out of 10, while this time we have 3 PHEVs, as several BEVs deliveries in Norway were starved by the Dutch sales peak, allowing PHEVs  (and others) to have more space to show up in the Top 10.

Expect the blue wave to become even more predominant throughout 2020.

Looking at the 2019 models ranking, the Tesla Model 3 has won the trophy in its landing year, with a record 15.683 units (Funny enough, 12 months ago i was predicting this volume of deliveries for the Tesla nameplate…).

Last year winner, the Nissan Leaf, ended in Third Place, while in 2nd we have the 2017 winner, the VW e-Golf, that amazingly has seen its deliveries grow by 27% in its last full sales year. Not bad for a career end...

Elsewhere, the big surprise was the Audi e-Tron ending its first year on the market in #4, winning the Best Selling SUV and Luxury categories, while promising to be one of the competitors for the podium in 2020, while the Best Selling PHEV title went once again for the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (the '19 win is its 4th in a row), with no real competition, as the Japanese SUV seems to be the only plugin hybrid being able to run with the best of BEVs.  

Looking at other sub-category prizes, the small EV Best Seller went once again for the BMW i3, while on the Best Selling Luxury Car category, there was a last minute surprise, with the Volvo S/V90 PHEV twins surpassing the Tesla Model S, thanks to a 189 units performance in December, their best result in 18 months, allowing them to end in front of the Californian by just 13 units.

Actually, last month was quite positive for Volvo, not only the flagship twins won their category, but the Volvo XC90 PHEV also climbed to #17, thanks to 177 units, its best result since June 2018, and the Volvo XC60 PHEV scored 319 units, a new record for the Swedish midsize SUV.

On the manufacturers ranking, Tesla (23%) won its first manufacturers trophy in Norway(!), ahead of Volkswagen (14%), and BMW (10%), while outside the podium, we have Nissan (9%), and Hyundai (8%).

Regarding LCVs, sales were up 20%, to 1.928 units (5,1% share), with the Nissan e-NV200 (978) dominating the market, while on the FCEV market, 29 units were registered, a 23 units drop(!) YoY, with the Hyundai Nexo (22 units) surpassing the Toyota Mirai (7), thus making the 5th consecutive title for Hyundai. 

Sharewise, FCEVs sank from 0,04% in 2018 to the current 0,02%...Mmm...Makes you think, doesn't it?  


Finally, looking into 2020, the defending champion Tesla Model 3 won't have it so easy this time, as several volume models are set to land throughout the year, but none will have enough volume to threat the Californian lead, with the exception of the VW ID.3, that will be a force to be reckoned once it lands, but because it will land late in the year, it won't be enough to win this year title. Maybe in 2021? 

Tesla will probably also take the Manufacturers title, but it will see Volkswagen getting closer every passing month on the second half of the year.

Denmark December 2019

Tesla Model 3 #1 in Booming market

The 9.409 units registered last year in Denmark, represented a 105% jump regarding 2018, finally surpassing the 4.762 units of 2015, when local incentives for EVs were significantly reduced, followed by a long period of receiding sales.

But that now part of the past, this surge in sales lead to a 2019 PEV share of 4,2%, a new record, with December alone reaching 7,5%, which could give some indications on where the final 2020 plugin share will end...

But despite the brilliant month of December 2019, with 1.157 registrations, it wasn't still enough to beat the December '15 score of 1.553 units, when a certain Tesla Model S delivered 1.248 units in one month...

Speaking of Tesla, the big star of this year was the Tesla Model 3, that registered 2.439 units (587 in December alone, that made it the Best Selling model that month, all models counted), doubling the result of the runner-up (and 2018 Best Seller) Kia Niro PHEV, but despite this brilliant result, it still wasn't enough to beat the record of its Tesla Model S sibling in 2015, when it registered 2.736 units...Maybe the midsizer can get there in 2020?

Still, the Model 3 performance was decisive in the BEV recovery regarding PHEVs, with all-electrics jumping from just 32% in 2018, to the current 59%

With the Model 3 storming into the leadership and the previous leader Kia Niro being relegated to #2, who got the Bronze medal? 

Why, another Kia, or course! The Optima PHEV jumped from #6 in 2018, with 335 units, to a podium position in 2019, with double (779) the registrations, confirming its popularity in Scandinavian countries, where pluggable, big Station Wagons are a thing.

Looking at the remaining models ranking, a mention to the rise of the Hyundai Kona EV to 4th place, while the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV finally cracked this market, showing up in 2019 in #6. 

On the other hand, the Nissan Leaf dropped like a rock, from #2 in 2018, with 637 units, to #9 in 2019, with half (307) of the sales...And this in a context of hot BEV sales! The local Nissan importer has a lot of work in front of it...

Outside this Top 10, a mention to the record deliveries of the Audi e-Tron (i am writing a lot this phrase, am i not? Is Audi ramping up production? Mmmm…), with the German SUV registering 50 units last month, while the new VW Passat GTE registered 33 units in December, its second record performance in a row, which could mean that both these plugins will have a say in the shape up of the 2020 ranking.

In the Manufacturers ranking, Tesla (29%, +4%) benefited from its last month of the quarter peak to distance itself from Kia (22%, -3%), winning this year Best Seller award, with Hyundai ending in Third, with 14% share, well ahead of the 4th Renault, with just 6% share (that Captur PHEV is badly needed, if Renault wants to expand its sales).

A final note regarding 2020, the Model 3 and the Koreans will stay strong contenders here, with the first building up on the current success to try and reach 3.000 units this year, and the seconds possibly adding some 50% of deliveries on their current levels, so newcomers should have a hard time reaching podium positions, but i believe the new Renault Zoe could have enough pace to follow the Koreans, while other EVs, like the Peugeot 208 EV or the new VW e-Up! will find their way into the Top 10.