The European passenger plug-in vehicle industry has begun to feel the effects of the general European auto market’s continued decline, which was down 17% last month year over year (YoY). With almost 219,000 plugin vehicles registered in June, it was down 8% last month. If you look more closely, the plugin hybrids (-22% YoY) are to responsible for the plugins’ negative performance. May marked the fourth straight month of declining sales for plug-in hybrids (also known as PHEVs). We might have seen Europe’s PHEV market peak.
BEVs, despite only growing by 4% last month, managed to do so concurrently. That’s less than the ( 32%) annual average growth rate, but it’s still much better than anything else. All across, we are witnessing two-digit declines. The breakdown of BEVs and PHEVs also shows that BEVs are more resilient. Compared to the yearly average of 58%, BEVs accounted for 61% of June’s plugin sales.
The percentage of plug-in vehicles in the overall European auto market in the previous month was 21% (13% full electrics/BEVs), maintaining the percentage at 20% for the year 2022. BEVs increased their market share by 1%, reaching 12%.
The Tesla Model Y grabbing the lead in June and YTD was a highlight from last month. However, the Fiat 500e didn’t lose its allure.
THE NEW #1 TESLA MODEL Y IN EUROPE PLUGIN VEHICLE SALES Let’s take a deeper look at the top 5 plugin cars in Europe for June.
Tesla Model Y, first The family-friendly crossover ascended to the top spot in June thanks to 16,758 registrations and fresh deliveries from Shanghai, which also benefited from the German-made vehicles’ gradual production ramp-up. (The Fiat 500e had less than half of that in the same time period; it was the second best selling vehicle on the table.) What accounts for the midsize crossover’s popularity? Aside from Tesla’s star power and the fact that the Model Y is a crossover that, in reality, is more like a station wagon (or MPV) on stilts than anything else, the Model Y is more European-friendly in shape than its Model 3 sister. Market accessibility, in my opinion, is equally crucial. The availability of the Model Y only four months after ordering has a significant impact on sales in a market where many EVs have one-year waiting lists. In terms of the Tesla crossover’s June sales throughout the continent, the UK (4,194 units) came out on top, followed by Norway (2,533), Germany (2,144), Sweden (1,876), and a surprising France (1,964), which up until this point hadn’t been a significant market for the Model Y.
#2 Fiat 500e The small Italian company made 7,322 deliveries in the past month, breaking yet another record. Expect more records to be set by the little Italian as it transitions from being the best-selling city car in Europe of the ICE era to wearing the same badge of honor in the new EV era. The Mirafiori plant is set to have a theoretical production ceiling of 180,000 units/year, and the fossil-fueled Fiat 500 is rumored to be going extinct next year. It achieves this by being the standard EV option in the class of stylish and c heap(ish) city cars. Expect the Fiat EV to continue to be the benchmark to beat in the category despite the Mini Cooper EV being a more expensive option, Smart upgrading its next generation of city EVs to compete with MINI, and Chinese automakers concentrating (for the time being, at least) on the top end of the market. The regular leaders in terms of sales last month were Germany (2,973 units) and France (1,843 units), with the UK (700) and its home country of Italy (781) also significantly contributing to the total.
Model 3 Tesla With 6,408 registrations in June, the midsizer came in third, courtesy to new vehicles arriving from Shanghai. However, because production was paused for a portion of the quarter, some pent-up demand is anticipated to continue into the third quarter. A stronger third quarter is predicted. Expect the Model 3 to earn fewer gold medals going forward, though, since the Model Y is starting to gain ground in terms of delivery (and demand). But regular inclusion in the top 5 ought to be expected. In terms of June’s results, the UK (1,450 units), Switzerland (! ), France (1,047 units), and Germany all had the best results for Tesla’s fast sedan (only 764 deliveries, a below-par month). But on the other hand, it makes sense that German consumers would now choose the Model Y over the Model 3 given that it is built in Germany.
e-208 Peugeot The fashionable Pug has traveled a long and difficult trip. When it came to the French hatchback, there was a lot to overcome in contrast to its Fiat 500e stablemate, which had everything to gain (the 500 was the best-selling city car in the ICE market, it had no internal rivals, and the external competition wasn’t really up to date and/or had limited production). Its main competition in the EV size segment, the Renault Zoe, was already well-known and had won multiple awards for best seller status. The German cousin of the electric Peugeot, the Opel Corsa EV, also began production at the same time as the electric Peugeot. Coincidentally, the Opel Corsa EV was going through a revival of sorts, with the latest iteration being the best in decades. This caused a sluggish start to life, with many people viewing the e-208 as more of a team player than a star player who dominates the charts and only contributed a small amount to Stellantis’ overall score. The truth is that the small Peugeot is producing more, and with 5,691 registrations in June, it achieved a second record score in a row. This is likely due to improved battery supply and/or higher demand. In fact, it also took first place in the subcompact/B-segment division with an 800 unit advantage over Renault Zoe, which came in seventh. The Peugeot model has eclipsed its Renault opponent as the new standard for the B-segment, making it the greatest contender for the award for top seller in the group. Stellantis would thus take home both the A and B sector #1 prizes in Europe, which is not bad for an OEM that was formerly charged with lacking high-volume EVs. In terms of the e-208’s performance, its native France (2,860 registrations) was the largest market, followed by Germany (871 registrations), the Netherlands (576), and the UK (550).
Five Skoda Enyaq With 5,664 registrations, the Czech crossover—possibly the most competitive model to come off the MEB platform—returned to the top 5 last month. It was the Volkswagen Group model that sold the most units once more. Expect the family-friendly Skoda to have a stronger second half of the year with more top 5 presences on the horizon now that the component-derived slowness has largely been overcome. In terms of June deliveries, Germany (1,144 registrations) was the country where the understated EV performed the best, followed by Norway (1,052 registrations), Sweden (526 registrations), the United Kingdom (500 registrations), the Netherlands (408 registrations), and the Czech Republic (364 registrations), which is also the country’s home market.
The VW ID.3’s #8 place in the June table, which appears to have come back to life as a result of 3,800 registrations, was the major highlight. It’s also important to note that the Ford Kuga PHEV, the best-selling PHEV, came in only eighth with 3,792 registrations. The three other PHEVs were listed in positions #18 (Kia Sportage PHEV), #19 (BMW 330e), and #20 in the table (Cupra Formentor PHEV). Will there soon be just one or two PHEV representation on the top 20 table?
The new Renault Megane EV’s initial volume month deserves a notice in the table’s second half. With 3,272 registrations when it first hit the market, the Megane EV rose to number 14. Another French hatchback that considers itself a crossover, the Citroen e-C4 EV, came in second and set even another record with 3,233 registrations!
The Audi e-tron has achieved another top 20 placement, this time at number 16, demonstrating that the large Audi has so far resisted attempts by Mercedes EQE and BMW iX to usurp its position as the market leader in the full size category.
The manufacturing ramp-up of various models, including the 2,856 registrations of the extremely sporty Cupra Born, which fell just 19 units short of a top-20 spot to stablemate Cupra Formentor PHEV, is the big story below the top 20. The relaxation of manufacturing restrictions at Volkswagen’s facilities favours the Cupra Born, which should shortly break into the top 20. Additionally, the 1,254 registrations of the VW ID.5, the sportier ID.4’s brother, indicate that the sporty crossover’s supply ramp-up has finally been enabled by the enhanced component availability within the Volkswagen stable.
While this was going on, SAIC saw its eZS crossover reach 2,514 registrations, which was its highest performance in a year, and the attractive Opel Mokka EV crossover scored a record 2,696 registrations for Stellantis (thanks to the recent facelift). The new MG5 station wagon set a record with 1,165 registrations, a figure that will undoubtedly rise as it is the only moderately priced BEV model available in Europe, a region famed for its adoration of station wagons.
Finally, the long-awaited Toyota bZ4X saw its maiden volume month. Although the name (and design) are awful, a lot is anticipated from Toyota’s first dedicated BEV. 477 registrations for the SUV were received in Europe. Will it soon appear in the top 20?
The two mass-market Tesla models moved places in the 2022 list, with the Model 3 giving way to the more Europe-friendly Model Y, as was already anticipated to happen earlier this year. This year, the more family-friendly Tesla is predicted to succeed its less powerful sister as the champion of Europe.
The fact that the third-placed Fiat 500e earned an edge in the competition for best-selling non-Tesla is also noteworthy among the top ranks. It now enjoys a lead of almost 10,000 units above the newly positioned VW ID.4 in position 4. The VW ID.4 will find it extremely difficult to displace the tiny Fiat from third place because it appears to be the only model capable of keeping up with the Teslas’ speed.
In reality, the German crossover also needs to keep an eye on its rear since the Peugeot e-208, which is presently setting records and rose two ranks last month (from 7th to 5th), could soon overcome it. The VW model is only 600 units ahead.
The Skoda Enyaq, now in eighth place, is moving up the rankings in other places. It has moved up two spots since May, and with the #7 Ford Kuga PHEV only 28 units behind it, anticipate the Czech EV to move up even more in July.
The VW ID.3 moving up three positions to position 15 is also noteworthy. Despite this, the compact hatchback is only the fourth most popular MEB-platform model on this table, trailing only the #13 Audi Q4 e-tron, the #4 VW ID.4, and the #8 Skoda Enyaq. The least we can say is that it hasn’t lived up to expectations for something that was advertised as the VW Golf’s spiritual grandson and the VW Beetle’s spiritual successor.
The Mini Cooper EV has been dropped from the top 20 and is now replaced by the Audi e-tron in the final position on the leaderboard. However, with the British hot hatch in position #21, just 5 units behind the large Audi, expect it to catch up quickly, especially given that both the #18 Volvo XC40 PHEV and #19 Mercedes GLC PHEV are currently facing significant challenges as a result of the BEV takeover and are likely to be strong candidates to be replaced by the curve-friendly EV.
Due to the decline in PHEV sales, BMW (9.3%, down from 9.5%) and Mercedes (8.2%, down from 8.6%) have seen the competition nip at their heels in the automotive rankings. This is especially problematic for Mercedes because it lost 0.7% of its market share in just two months and now has third-place Tesla (7.6%, up from 6.9%) within arm’s reach.
Volkswagen is presently increasing in fourth place (6.4%, up from 6.1%). It overtook Kia (6.3%) last month and is presently aiming to take back the top spot in Europe by the end of the year. Can it perform that?
Peugeot and Audi are both at 5.8%, so the battle for sixth place is still quite exciting.
Overall, the EV industry is highly balanced, as seen by the fact that the market leader, BMW, only has a 9.3% share.
Volkswagen Group is in first place with an 18.6% share, up from 18.1% in May (and 17.4% in April), when things are arranged by automobile group. The German conglomerate appears to be past its worst.
In second place, Stellantis is likewise advancing quickly (now at 16.6%, up from 16.1% in May and 15.3% in April). One wonders how much further the runner-up corporation can advance against the rivalry. Will it be able to jeopardize Volkswagen Group’s number-one ranking? One thing is certain: Stellantis and Volkswagen Group currently appear to be playing in a different league from the rest of the opposition. By the way, this mirrors what is happening in the overall market, where both dominate it.
HyundaiKia, the current bronze medalist (11.5%, down from 11.7%), lost some market share, but #4 BMW Company (11.2%, down from 11.5%), lost more market share overall, therefore the Korean group edged out the Bavarian OEM. The Mercedes-Benz Group, which is currently ranked fifth (9.3%, down from 9.8%), is losing ground and may soon be surpassed by the rising #6 RenaultNissan Alliance (8.6%, up from 8.4%), which benefited from the introduction of the Renault Megane EVs.
Do you value the unique reporting and cleantech news coverage on CleanTechnica? Consider becoming a patron on Patreon or a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador. Don’t miss a cleantech story, will ya? Register for daily news updates from CleanTechnica by email. Or follow us on Google News ! Want to advertise with CleanTechnica, send us a tip, or propose a speaker for our podcast CleanTech Talk? You can reach us here.
