Spain October 2020

Record Month

Despite the Spanish automotive market being in the doldrums, with the overall market dropping 37% this year, the plugin market is better than ever, having scored a record result in October, with the YTD numbers growing 67% YoY, to 25.610 units. 

But growth wasn't the same between BEVs and PHEVs, because while pure electrics are growing 30% YoY, to 11.928 units, plugin hybrid sales are jumping throught the roof, shooting 124%, hitting 13.682 units, with the latter winning significant share (58% PHEV vs 42% BEV in October, against 53% PHEV, 47% BEV in 2020), a significant fact in a traditionally BEV-friendly market.

Share-wise, last month plugins reached 5,9% (2,5% BEV), pulling the 2020 PEV share to 3,8% (1,8% BEV).

As for last month best sellers, we had a surprising winner last month, with the Hyundai Kona EV winning last month Best Seller trophy, thanks to a record 267 registrations, followed by the Renault Zoe (253 units), while the Peugeot 3008 PHEV closed the podium, with 233 deliveries, a new record for the Peugeot SUV. 

These good performances from the Hyundai and Peugeot models allowed them to climb positions in the YTD table, to #5 and #4 respectively, with the French SUV coming closer to the current Best Selling PHEV and SUV trophy holder, the #3 Kia Niro PHEV, now just 15 units ahead, so expect a close race between these two.  

But the Climber of the Month was the Volvo XC40 PHEV, that was up 3 positions, to #9, highlighting the popularity of the most compact Volvo, while behind it, the Nissan Leaf climbed to #10 (discounts always work to move metal...) and the Kia Xceed PHEV jumped two positions, to #16.

Highlighting Peugeot's good moment, besides the 3008 PHEV monthly win, the 508 PHEV was up to #18, thanks to 91 deliveries, the midsizer best performance since January, while the 2008 crossover joined the table, in #20, thanks to a record 137 registrations, but PSA's production ramp up is also benefiting the other brands, as the Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV delivered 127 units in October, while there were 72 deliveries of the Opel Corsa EV.  

But PSA is not the only OEM introducing new models and ramping up production, BMW had its Mini Cooper EV reaching the 119 deliveries, and with the electric hot hatch only 9 units behind the #20 Peugeot 2008 EV, expect the British model to join the table soon.

Mercedes is also ramping up the volumes of its extensive PHEV lineup, with 147 units of the A250e, 144 of the GLA250e, 82 of the GLC300e/de and 76 of the CLA sports sedan, while the Volkswagen Group saw the Seat Leon PHEV reach 109 deliveries last month and the new Golf VIII PHEV land with 55 units, a promising result for the new model, but on the other hand, the Volkswagen new ID.3 had 129 deliveries last month, already down from the 166 units of September's landing month. 

Does this ID.3 drop mean anything? We have to wait a few more months to know if it's an allocation or demand issue, but comparing the Golf PHEV and the ID.3 results, it seems the plugin Golf will continue to be an important player in the market. 

On the manufacturers ranking, the top two positions remained stable, with Peugeot (12%) ahead, followed by Kia (9%), that has displaced Renault (8%) to the 3rd spot.

Outside the podium, we have Hyundai and Volvo, both with 7% share, looking to displace Renault from the Bronze medal. 

Estonia October 2020

Nissan Leaf leads hot market

After a long absence, Estonia is back at EV Sales, while 2019 was a year to forget, regarding plugin sales in this market, with PEV registrations falling 27% regarding the previous year, 2020 is witnessing surging sales, with 313 new plugins being registered so far, which means a 304% jump in sales regarding the previous year, pulling the current market share to 1.9% (2.1% in October), and although it is still below the 2.6% record year of 2012, when Estonia was seen like a sort of "Little Norway", it marks the return of the Baltic country to the fast lane, moving the needle up, so in 2021 we should see it break its share record, that currently is the oldest on record.

Speaking of Norway, a common trace between both markets is the popularity of BEVs, this is most definetely a BEV-friendly market, with all electrics having 79% of the plugin market this year, with October scoring a 94%(!) share.

The Nissan Leaf is synonym with "EV" here, having won every Best Seller trophy since 2013...

...But this year's title isn't yet in the bag, because in Second we have the surprising Porsche Taycan(!), that is just 5 units behind, while the #3 Renault Zoe and #4 Tesla Model 3 aren't yet out of action, .

One could argue that counting the Skoda Citigo EV (16 units) together with the VW e-Up (21), these two being basically the same car, then the real Best Sellers here would be the triplets from the VW Group, but...let's not go into technicalities, the 2020 Best Seller will most likely be the Nissan Leaf, so better luck next year, Leaf challengers (Renault Zoe, Tesla Model 3 and VW ID.3).  

In the manufacturers ranking, Porsche (16%) is the surprise leader, ahead of the chronic leader Nissan (it has won every Best Selling manufacturer title since 2013), with 11% share while Volkswagen (10%) and Tesla (9%) are with the Japanese maker for the Silver medal. 

Switzerland October 2020

 

14% Share!

The Swiss plugin market was up 156% in October, with 2.963 registrations and 14% share, pulling the 2020 growth rate to 71%, thanks to 22.063 registrations, with the PEV share now at a record 12% (5,5% last year), helped by the fact that the overall market is falling 27% this year, with BEVs representing 57% of all plugin sales (50% in October).

The leader Tesla Model 3 and the runner-up Renault Zoe can now find space for their 2020 medals, but the Bronze medal is still open for discussion, between the #4 Hyundai Kona EV and a pack of Volvos, with the XC60 PHEV currently holding the 3rd spot and keeping the Hyundai at a safe distance, while the XC40 PHEV and S/V60 PHEV are chasing the Korean crossover.

Speaking of Tesla, the Model X is back at the table, in #16, but the Audi e-Tron came out of nowhere into #9, while another high end BEV also joined the table, with the Porsche Taycan showing up at #18.

Last month, the Climber of the Month was the VW ID.3, that in its second month on the market, it jumped to 10th, with the VW new baby racing to reach a spot on the Top 5 by year end.

Other position changes were the Mini Cooper EV climbing to #15, thanks to a record 79 deliveries, while the BMW X1 PHEV joined the table, in #20.

A mention also for the Nissan Leaf, that with 59 registrations, had its best scores in two years (Ahhhh...Discounts. Always a sure way to increase sales). 

Outside the Top 20, a reference to the 107 registrations of the Renault Captur PHEV, while the Mazda MX-30 is also being delivered in volume (81 units), the ramp-up of the Toyota RAV4 PHEV continues with 73 registrations, while the VW Golf VIII PHEV (55 units) and Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV (54) have landed with positive scores, so both the German and the French models should have good results in the future.

In the manufacturers ranking, Tesla is in the lead, with 17% share, followed by Volvo (12%) and Renault (11%), while BMW (10%) is looking to return to the podium. 

Norway October 2020

 

Skoda Octavia PHEV: Norway's next Success Story?

VW ID.3 shines in a 79% share market

BEVs are becoming the norm in Norway, as they were responsible for 61% of the Norwegian market last month, up 110% last month, to 7.873 units, pulling the YTD share to 52%, while plugin hybrids, in the context of growing sales across Europe, only registered 2.372 units, more or less the same as October '19, being responsible for 18% share of the overall market (20% YTD), pulling the 2020 PEV share to a record 72%.

Looking at the fuels breakdown, if BEVs are up, everything else is down, and even PHEVs are now suffering from the blackhole effect of BEVs, as their share last month (18%) was down regarding the YTD number (20%), but that is nothing compared with the debacle of the other fuels: HEVs now have just 7% share of the market, petrol vehicles is down to 6% share (it had 11% a year ago), diesel has also 6%, while in the same month last year, the black fuel had 17% share...Will we see diesel disappear next year?

Another record to take in account, is the fact that 88% of all October sales belonged to electrified (BEV+PHEV+HEV) vehicles, so we should see months next year where pure ICE sales will be basically non existent...

And the plugin total fleet share is jumping, with the numbers now hovering at 14%...So even fuel pumps are now starting to feel the disruption... 

Looking at October model sales by fuel, we have once again a 100% BEV Top 5, with the VW ID.3 scoring a second win, with 2.475 units, considering the remaining behavior of the ID.3 across Europe, it is clear that VW has Norway as on of its top priority markets for its new electric baby.

The remaining Top 5 is far behind, and has saw the MG ZS EV reach the runner-up position, thanks to a record 586 registrations, while the Nissan Leaf was 3rd(!), with 579 registrations its best result in 2020, with the Japanese hatchback scoring its first podium position since April. See Nissan, discounting does makes sales go up!...

Interestingly, in #6 we have the hot new Toyota RAV4 PHEV, winning again the PHEV Best Seller award, with 444 units, a promising start for the plugin Toyota, that places the popular SUV as a strong candidate for the 2021 Best Selling PHEV award in Norway. (And globally too?) 

Pl	Model	Sales
1	VW ID.3	2.475
2	SAIC MG ZS EV	586
3	Nissan Leaf	579
4	Hyundai Kona EV	519
5	Audi e-Tron	513

Looking at the 2020 ranking, the VW ID.3 stormed the table, jumping 8 positions, to #3, and with the runnout-out mode #2 VW e-Golf just 278 units behind, expect VW's new EV to surpass its predecessor next month, in what should be a significant sign of where the market is going.

The BMW i3 rejoined the Top 10, jumping two positions, to #10, proving that Norway is one of the most important markets for the small BMW.

In the unplugged category, there are some good news and some bad news, if the ICE-only  Skoda Octavia dropped to #12, having seen its sales dry up, as people are now waiting for the  PHEV version, the Toyota hybrid pack has seen two models climb in the table, with the Corolla Hybrid rising to #14 and the Yaris Hybrid climbing to #19, thus escaping, for now at least, the possibility to be kicked out of the Top 20. 

Outside the Top 20, the highlight was the aforementioned 444 deliveries of the Toyota RAV4 PHEV, a badly needed model for the brand, as its plugless hybrid lineup is starting to suffer from the EV blackhole effect, but the Kia Niro EV also deserves a mention, having scored 244 units, a new personal best, so it seems the recent production ramp up of the Korean maker allowed it to have more units available for this market.

Finally, a few words also for the Mazda MX-30, despite being a somewhat niche product, the fact that Mazda needs to comply with the EU's CO2 rules, is making it push the sports crossover sales in Europe, although in Norway, the sales push (317 deliveries last month) has more to do with the market dynamics than anything else, as ICE models just don't pull the wagon anymore, as Mazda's remaining (ICE) models only clocked 195 registrations in October... 

Looking at the overall manufacturers ranking, Volkswagen (14%, up 1%) is increasing the lead, thanks to the ID.3 deliveries, while below it, we have Toyota (9%) surpassing a falling Audi (8%, down 1%) and stealing the runner-up spot.

Outside the podium, BMW and Volvo are leading a pack of makers (Hyundai, Mercedes)  all with 6% share, all looking to reach the podium sometime in the future.

Sweden October 2020

 

36% Share!

The local plugin market continues on fire, jumping 182% YoY, to 10.170 registrations, its second record performance in a row, with last month scoring a record 36% share for plugins, pulling the 2020 PEV share to 29%. Unfortunately, the bulk of grownth comes from PHEVs, that shooted 321% last month, to 7.840 units, against just 2.330 units from BEVs (+33%), with these last ones only representing 23% of plugin sales in October (28% YTD). Still, BEVs have 8% share of the total market (8.3% in October), while PHEVs have the remaining 21%.

Looking at the remaining fuels, in October, HEVs clocked a 12% share, versus 8% a year ago, while petrol lost 13% market share(!), now at 33%, while diesel was even worse, down 15% in share, to just 17%. 

At this pace, diesel will be död in Sweden by 2022...

Looking at last month Best Sellers, it's a PHEV fest, with Volvo securing a 1-2 win, this time with the XC60 PHEV overcoming its S/V60 PHEV siblings, while both had record performances (982 units for the XC60, 931 for the S/V60), while last month 3rd placed was the VW Passat GTE, that also secured a record score, with 882 registrations, making this a very consolidated (and mainstream) podium, as these three models also have the medal positions in the YTD ranking, and in the overall ranking, the Volvo S/V60 twins are also #1, with PHEVs representing 50% of the total sales, followed by the XC60 (of which, 66% of sales are PHEV), while the VW Passat (81% are PHEVs) is #4 (the 3rd placed is the VW Golf, with 49% of sales being PHEV and 11% BEV), so one can say that the top sellers in Sweden are merging fast with the overall market, and from now on, if someone wants to succeed in this market, it will have to be with plugins.

In the remaining positions, the VW Golf PHEV (it includes gen. 7 & 8 of the Golf GTE, plus the new eHybrid PHEV) jumped to 4th, with 761 registrations, a new record for the Golf nameplate, while in 5th, we have the Kia Ceed PHEV, benefiting from the popularity of the PHEV station wagon combo in Sweden, as the .

Interestingly, the new Golf VIII PHEV landed with a bigger bang than the brand's new ID.3 BEV (460 units in September, 212 in October), so it seems the plugin Golf will have an important role to play in a number of markets, this being one of them.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Volvo XC60 PHEV	982
2	Volvo S/V60 PHEV	931
3	VW Passat GTE	882
4	VW Golf PHEV	761
5	Kia Ceed PHEV	373

Looking at the 2020 ranking, the top positions remained the same, with the only position changes happening in the Top 10 being the Kia Ceed climbing to #7, making it 3 Kias in the Top 7 spots, while the VW Golf PHEV (Gen. VII & VIII) jumped 4 positions, to #10.

On the second half of the table we have the BMW 330e jumping three spots, to #15, thanks to a record 370 deliveries, most of them being the new Touring (aka station wagon) version. 

But there were also some good news on the BEV side, with the Polestar 2 climbing one position, to #18, while the veteran Nissan Leaf, in #16, registered its best result this year, with 189 units, although that is nothing compared to the performance of another oldtimer, the VW e-Golf, that despite having its ID.3 successor already on the market, had its swan song last month, with 166 deliveries, its best score in 2 years(!), allowing it to reappear (momentarily, i would guess) in the table, in #20.

Outside the Top 20, besides the aforementioned 212 deliveries of the VW ID.3, we should mention also the ramp up of Mercedes, with two models (GLE350e/de - 132 units; GLC300e/de - 145) scoring record deliveries, while Audi is doing the same to the Q5 PHEV, by delivering 147 units, the model's second record score in a row, as the PHEV technology is fast becoming the immediate successor to the diesel best sellers. 

Interestingly, there is another Kia plugin hybrid rising to stardom, with the Xceed PHEV, a stylish hatchback desguised as crossover (so, it is a crossover between a compact hatchback and a...crossover SUV? Is it a Crossover crossover?), that delivered 302 units last month, while the niche MX-30 from Mazda had 103 registrations last month, proving to be a popular proposal, considering the leftfield thinking behind it.

In the manufacturers ranking, Volvo is comfortably in the lead, with 24% share (up 2%), thanks to the success of its midsize offerings, while Kia (19%, up 1%) keeps the 2nd place, and Volkswagen (13%, up 1%) closes the podium, ahead of Tesla (5%, down 2%).

Belgium October 2020

 

15% share in PHEV-friendly market

This time we start October with Belgium, where plugins are in the fast lane, last month PEV registrations jumped 213% YoY, to 5.688 units, allowing for a 15% share and pulling the 2020 score to 9,1%.

This 9,1% plugin share is well above the 3,2% of last year, although this market returned to its PHEV addiction, as they represented 74% of registrations last month (67% in 2020).

The trends in this market are SUVs (In October, 5 of the Top 6 models were SUVs) and locally-made models, with the local hero Volvo XC40 PHEV winning October's Best Seller status, thanks 503 units, a new record for the Belgian-Swede, winning precious advantage over the previous runner-up, the Tesla Model 3, while the current leader BMW X5 PHEV, can start to think preparing the Best Seller ceremony, considering the large advantage (1.279 units) to the #2 Volvo XC40 PHEV. 

Speaking of BMW, the Bavarian brand had a positive month, as the 330e jumped three spots, to #4, thanks to a record 323 deliveries, most of them being the new Station Wagon body, while the compact SUV X1 PHEV climbed to 7th and its Group cousin, the Mini Countryman PHEV, joined the table, in #18.

Other models shining were the #9 Skoda Superb PHEV, scoring a personal best 153 deliveries, while the #10 Audi Q5 PHEV, thanks to a record 251 deliveries, jumped 3 positions, and finishing the good news on the VW Group, the VW Passat GTE climbed to #14.   

In a PHEV-friendly market, there are only 5 BEVs on this Top 5, and this month new additions were both plugin hybrids, besides the aforementioned Mini Countryman PHEV, the other new model in the table is the much-awaited Mercedes GLE350de and its 31 kWh(!) battery. It seems Mercedes has finally found enough battery cells to start ramping up production of its large plugin yacht, allowing it to record a best ever 390 deliveries, allowing it to jump into #16, but also to almost match the result of its arch-rival, the BMW X5 PHEV.

Outside the Top 20, a reference to the Hyundai Kona EV scoring a record 198 units, allowing it to be just 59 units behind the #20 BMW 530e, while there are plenty of models either landing (Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV - 132 units; Toyota RAV4 PHEV - 113), or ramping up production (Audi A6 PHEV - 115 units; Mazda MX-30 - 118; Renault Captur PHEV - 112).

Regarding the much awaited VW ID.3, after a "meh" landing in September (191 units), the German BEV logged 120 deliveries in October, so VW's new baby has failed to make an impact here, but then again, this isn't the most suited market for it, as it is neither an SUV or a PHEV. Better luck for VW with the Golf VIII PHEV and the upcoming ID.4?

In the manufacturers ranking, BMW (22%) is the clear leader, followed by Volvo (12%), with Mercedes (8%) being the new Bronze medalist.

The 4th placed is Audi (7%), looking to reach a medal position soon, while in #5 we have Tesla (6%).

Q1-Q3 2020 Sales by OEM

 

Looking at the 2020 sales by Automotive Group, we have:

PHEV+BEV

If we gather plugin sales by Automotive Groups, Tesla is ahead, with 18% share, down 1% regarding the previous June report, followed by the Volkswagen Group (13%), that increased the distance to the Renault-Nissan Alliance, to 5%, so the German conglomerate is midway between the #1 Tesla and the #3 Renault-Nissan. 

And to think that 2019 ended with the Volkswagen Group in 6th, with 6% share, 2 points behind the Renault-Nissan Alliance and a whole 11 points below the leader Tesla (17%)...At this pace, the Germans could beat Tesla by Q2 2021. Bets, anyone?

Below the podium, Hyundai-Kia rose to 4th, at the expense of the BMW Group, with both keeping the 7% share they had in H1. 

SAIC is now #6, with 110.000 units, benefiting from the success of the SGMW City EVs, and could displace BMW from the Top 5 by the end of the year.

With the plugin market this year growing at a 11% rate, while Tesla (+24%), Hyundai-Kia (+29%) and BMW (+17%) are growing at a slightly higher pace than average, but the Volkswagen Group is growing at warp speed (+168%), and it has been the OEM that has grown more in volume, in the past three months, beating even Tesla in that aspect. 

On the other hand, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has seen its sales drop, by 1%, harmed by the slowing sales that Nissan and Mitsubishi have been experiencing. Maybe Renault could be better off seeking new dance partners (Ahem, Mercedes, Ahem)?

BEV

Looking only at BEVs, the leader Tesla (26%) lost 2% share regarding H1, but it is still 3% above the 2019 result, while the Renault Nissan Alliance continues losing share, due to Nissan's slowing sales, dropping by 1% regarding the last quarter, to 9%, and the Alliance was surpassed by the Volkswagen Group, that has kept its 10% score, which is double its final 2019 score (5%).

SAIC is also on the rise, jumping to #4, thanks to the Wuling and Baojun EVs, while increasing its share to 8%, placing the Chinese OEM 2 points ahead of last year 6% share.

Comparing with the BEV+PHEV table, the big defeated is the BMW Group, that due to its heavy reliance on PHEVs, disappears from the Top 5, to the profit of the BEV-friendly SAIC.