Tesla and Opel were the main “lost” of the weakened market in last year, while VW, BMW and Mercedes managed to gain a significant market share, according to data from the Federal Motor Authority analysed by Deutsche Presse – Agentur. Some electric car manufacturers in Germany, including BMW and Skoda, managed not only to resist the downward trend, but also to make profits. CORVERSE The number of new classifications of pure battery electric cars (BEV) in Germany decreased by 27% to just under 381,000 in 2024. The decisive factor for the reduction was probably the discontinuation of the state market premium. The largest “lost” No other brand saw the sales of electric cars decline as sharply as Tesla. New classifications decreased by 26,000 to just under 38,000. This corresponds to a market share of 9.9%. As a result, Elon Musk’s company retreated from second to third place on the German BEV market. Experts recently explained the car industry’s weakness with a problem in its image, which can also be attributed to the major shareholder Musk and his political involvement, as Musk supports Donald Trump. CORVERSE Opel also lost a lot of ground, from nearly 28,000 to less than 8,000 electric cars and with a market share of just 2%. When asked, the company explained the fall by saying that small cars such as Corsa Electric suffered much more than the abrupt cessation of subsidies than expensive models that were not already eligible for subsidies. In addition, SUV Grandland was not available as a battery version until the model was changed. Fiat and Hyundai also suffered five-digit losses. Winners Some brands managed to resist the downward trend, such as BMW. The Munich-based company increased its new BEV classifications by 1,600 units to more than 40,000, which was sufficient to take second place from Tesla and increase its market share by 4.1 points to 11.1 points. BMW has also recently surpassed its German competitors internationally as regards electric cars. Skoda, Seat, Volvo and Porsche also managed to increase their new classifications and market shares, in some cases significantly. Volvo achieved the biggest increase with a good 5,000 BEV, although at a low level with a total of less than 14,000 cars. And the other great German manufacturers? The picture here is mixed. VW managed to significantly increase its market share from 13.5% to 16.3% and consolidate its leadership position. However, new classifications decreased by 8,500 to 62,000, but because the overall market shrinks faster, its share is still increasing. Number four, Mercedes, has a similar course, with its market share rising from 7 to 8.9%, although new classifications are reduced by 2,700 to 34,000. Competitive Audi, on the other hand, scored a significant drop of 8,800 to 22,000 new classifications. This also resulted in its market share being slightly reduced to 5.7%, which threw the company based in Ingolstadt in sixth place and behind her sister Skoda, which improved to 6.6%. For the whole VW Group, the image is also mixed. Market share is indeed increasing by 7.2 points to 35.4%. However, the total number of new classifications decreased by 13,000 to 135,000.
Germany: Sales Fall for Tesla – VW, BMW and Mercedes dominate the electric car market
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