Dusseldorf Car sales in Germany are only slowly getting going. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, 200,512 cars were newly registered in February. That was 3.2 percent more than a year earlier, but significantly less than before the corona crisis.
The growth is mainly due to purely electric cars, whose sales have increased significantly compared to the same month last year. A total of 28,306 battery-powered electric cars were newly registered, a full 54.9 percent more than in the same month last year. Every seventh car newly registered in Germany is powered by a battery.
For VW, the ongoing production problems caused by the lack of chips are slowly becoming a problem. In absolute terms, 5,614 electric cars of the core brand have been registered since the beginning of the year. Group-wide – including Audi, Porsche and Skoda – 10,996 new registrations were registered on the home market. Behind them are Tesla (6363 new registrations) and Hyundai (4455 new registrations).
The Californians in particular stormed the list of the best-selling electric cars in February. In addition to the Model 3, the Model Y, which is to roll off the assembly line in Grünheide near Berlin, also achieved a high ranking. On the other hand, bestsellers such as the electric VW E-Up or the Smart Fortwo EQ miss out on the top ten. German premium brands such as Audi or Mercedes are also not represented.
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10th place: Opel Corsa-E – 1753 new registrations (as of February 2022)*
The small Stromer, which is built in Zaragoza, was still number two among electric cars in Germany in January. In February, however, only 702 copies of the small electric car were newly registered. Only every fifth Corsa buyer opted for the electric version.
This causes a drop in the ranking. However, the model is still just under the ten most popular electric cars in the country.
9th place: BMW i3 – 1756 new registrations
Since 2013, the group has sold almost a quarter of a million units of the electric car. In the future, BMW will rely on the electric Mini and the iX. Production of the electric bestseller is to be discontinued in June.
In the course of 2022, however, the i3 is still the most popular electric car from the brand and also leaves the fresh models behind. The BMW i3 was newly registered 974 times in February and thus just overtakes the Corsa.
The small electric car is a discontinued model – but still very successful.
(Photo: dpa)
8th place: Hyundai Ioniq 5 – 1902 new registrations
The Korean not only has a futuristic look, but also many qualities that other electric cars lack. Thanks to the 800-volt system – which otherwise only Mercedes EQS and Porsche Taycan have to offer – like its corporate twin Kia EV6, it charges significantly faster than most of its competitors.
With 942 new registrations in February, however, the Ioniq 5 was not particularly strong in February and slipped a full three places in the ranking.
The Korean model is not only an eye-catcher, but also loads very quickly.
(Photo: AP)
7th place: Renault Zoe – 1925 new registrations
It was a difficult start to the year for the second small electric car. After the model was punished with disastrous zero stars by Euro NCAP at the end of 2021, new registrations lag behind the successes of previous years.
After all, the Zoe was still the most popular electric car in Germany in 2020. In the meantime, new registrations in February have recovered somewhat compared to the previous month. 1101 copies of the French small car were newly registered.
In 2020, the French small car was still able to take the lead in new electric registrations.
(Photo: obs)
6th place: VW ID.4 – 1929 new registrations
In China, the medium-sized electric SUV was disappointing last year, and success in Europe is currently still manageable. The chip crisis recently put such a strain on production that VW even had to impose an electrical quota on its dealers. Only large dealers will receive a significant number of electric cars for 2022.
This also explains the continued mixed registration figures on the home market. In February, 1033 ID.4s were registered in Germany. This made the mid-range SUV the Group’s most popular electric model in February.
After the ID.3, the SUV is the second car from Volkswagen that was designed exclusively as an electric vehicle.
(Photo: dpa)
5th place: VW ID.3 – 1965 new registrations
The same applies to the “Golf of electromobility”, which is currently only on the road on the home market with the handbrake on. Not even 1023 copies of the Stromer were newly registered in February.
As a result, the group’s self-declared beacon of hope falls behind many electrical competitors and loses contact with the top. For a car that has aspired to be the market leader in its home market, the numbers are sobering.
The model should be VW’s entry into the mass electric business.
(Photo: dpa)
4th place: Hyundai Kona – 2317 new registrations
A Hyundai electric model thus overtakes the VW competition. The electric variant now accounts for more than half of the new compact SUV registrations. In 2021, the Koreans’ model was revised somewhat, but the technical basis comes from 2018. The Koreans are doing well on the German market.
In February, new registrations increased slightly compared to the previous month to 1312 copies. In an industry comparison, the model just missed the podium.
Short delivery times, cheap leasing. This also makes the Kona interesting for many German drivers.
(Photo: Reuters)
3rd place: Tesla Model Y – 2396 new registrations
The mid-range crossover is also to be built in the new Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin. Currently, however, the model is still being imported from China and the USA. As a result, the registration figures for the Californians in Germany fluctuate greatly – with every new ship delivery.
In February, the model stormed the rankings. 2254 new registrations were registered by the Federal Motor Transport Authority, after only 142 in January. That’s enough for third place.
The crossover model is also to be built in the new Gigafactory in Grünheide.
(Photo: AP)
2nd place: Fiat 500 – 2653 new registrations
The electric Fiat 500 has to vacate the top spot among German electric cars after just one month. The new edition of the small Italian also did well in February. Almost every second Fiat 500 newly registered in Germany is electric.
In February, too, the model was newly registered 1,392 times, making it the most successful model among traditional car manufacturers. But it is overtaken by another Tesla.
The small electric car from Italy is one of the most popular electric cars in Germany.
(Photo: Fiat)
1st place: Tesla Model 3 – 3967 new registrations
With 277 new registrations, the mid-range model from Tesla was not represented in the ranking of the most popular electric cars in January, but it even led the ranking in February. The Model 3 was newly registered in Germany a total of 3,690 times, making it currently the most popular electric car among Germans.
This should be a warning for the German car manufacturers: Because although many new models are coming onto the market, the Californians dominate the fastest growing segment in Germany – even before the Gigafactory in Berlin starts production.
In February, the Model 3 was registered significantly more frequently than all its competitors, making it the new leader in the ranking.
(Photo: dpa)
*As of February 2022, source: Kraftfahrt-Bwhole
More: No Tesla, lots of VW – these ten car models were particularly in demand in 2021