The German auto industry sales were up 17% in October. However, that increase was insufficient to reverse the -6% year-over-year (YoY) decline, as reported by CleanTechnica.
Battery-electric vehicle market saw a YOY increase of 17% to 35,781 units sold. Meanwhile, plugin hybrids recorded a 35% YOY increase, the highest since August of last year.
Considering that PHEVs will be disqualified from the newly passed federal tax credits in 2023, their sales will most likely increase before the year ends. In any case, 32,064 PHEVs were registered in October, representing 15% of the auto market.
On the other hand, the share of PEVs in October was 32%, which kept the YTD rating at 29% (16% BEV). By year’s end, a result of about 30% appears achievable.
Top 20 plugin vehicles in Germany (October 2022)
The graph below shows that the Ford Kuga PHEV (Euro-spec Ford Escape) earned the top seller award in October after a close contest with the Fiat 500e.
The incentives for 2022 will see competition from a wide variety of electric vehicles. Therefore, a large number of pre-registered vehicles will likely be available for a buyer in dealer stores in January, along with a broader sales lag in Q1 2023.
The VW ID.3 registered 2,160 vehicles, a record high since September 2021. Meanwhile, its sibling VW ID.4 was 5th in ranking with 1,701 registrations.
Furthermore, the Spanish Cupra Formentor PHEV came fourth with 1,942 units.
Two Tesla vehicles got in the top 10. The 6th placer Model Y had 1,622 deliveries, while the 7th placer Model 3 had 1,563 deliveries. It is worth noting that these records are the vehicles’ best first-month results ever in the country.
The Opel Mokka EV is ranked eighth with a record 1,531 registrations. Meanwhile, the Mercedes A250e PHEV and the BMW 3 Series PHEV landed 10th place with 1,263 unit registrations. This result recorded Mercedes’ greatest performance in 17 months and BMW’s in more than two years.
| Rank | Model | October | % |
| 1 | Ford Kuga PHEV | 2,394 | 3.55% |
| 2 | Fiat 500e | 2,363 | 3.55% |
| 3 | VW ID.3 | 2,160 | 3.2% |
| 4 | Cupra Formentor PHEV | 1,942 | 2.9% |
| 5 | VW ID.4 | 1,701 | 2.5% |
| 6 | Tesla Model Y | 1,622 | 2.4% |
| 7 | Tesla Model 3 | 1,563 | 2.3% |
| 8 | Opel Mokka EV | 1,531 | 2.3% |
| 9 | Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV | 1,385 | 2.0% |
| 10 | Mercedes A250e PHEV | 1,263 | 1.9% |
| 10 | BMW 3 Series PHEV | 1,263 | 1.9% |
| 12 | Audi e-tron | 1,141 | 1.7% |
| 13 | Cupra Born | 1,140 | 1.7% |
| 14 | VW Tiguan PHEV | 1,132 | 1.7% |
| 15 | Hyundai Kona EV | 1,108 | 1.6% |
| 16 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 1,100 | 1.6% |
| 17 | Skoda Enyaq | 1,098 | 1.6% |
| 18 | VW e-Up | 1,093 | 1.6% |
| 19 | Renault Megane EV | 1,076 | 1.6% |
| 20 | Polestar 2 | 1,073 | 1.6% |
| Others | 38,697 | 57% | |
| Total | 67,845 | 100% |
Other models also stood out in the second half of the table, with the #14 VW Tiguan PHEV recording its highest performance with 1,132 units. The #19 Renault Megane EV also had a record-breaking 1,076 registrations.
Meanwhile, a record 1,073 registrations let the Polestar 2 enter the list at #20.
Top 20 plugin vehicles in Germany (Jan-October 2022)
The Tesla Model 3 was surpassed by the Ford Kuga PHEV with 16,983 units. Nonetheless, the Tesla Model Y dominated the ranking with 24,177 units. The Fiat500e followed it with 19,219.
On the other hand, the VW ID.3 moved up two positions to seventh. The Cupra Formentor PHEV is currently in fifth place. The seasoned Audi e-tron reinforced its full-size category leadership by moving up one spot to #13, while the Skoda Enyaq climbed to #11.
It is also worth noting that the Audi Q4 e-tron came 18th, which is remarkable given that it is about to undergo significant modifications.
| Rank | Model | January-October | % |
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 24,177 | 4.3% |
| 2 | Fiat 500e | 19,219 | 3.5% |
| 3 | Ford Kuga PHEV | 16,983 | 3.1% |
| 4 | Tesla Model 3 | 16,964 | 3.1% |
| 5 | Cupra Formentor PHEV | 13,116 | 2.4% |
| 6 | VW ID.4 | 12,880 | 2.3% |
| 7 | VW ID.3 | 12,802 | 2.3% |
| 8 | Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV | 12,053 | 2.2% |
| 9 | Hyundai Kona EV | 12,030 | 2.2% |
| 10 | Opel Corsa EV | 9,924 | 1.8% |
| 11 | Skoda Enyaq | 9,800 | 1.8% |
| 12 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 9,773 | 1.8% |
| 13 | Audi e-tron | 9,628 | 1.7% |
| 14 | BMW i3 | 9,520 | 1.7% |
| 15 | VW e-Up | 9,511 | 1.7% |
| 16 | BMW 3 Series PHEV | 9,294 | 1.7% |
| 17 | Mini Cooper EV | 9,025 | 1.6% |
| 18 | Audi Q4 e-tron | 8,700 | 1.6% |
| 19 | Renault Zoe | 8,344 | 1.5% |
| 20 | Dacia Spring | 8,273 | 1.5% |
| Others | 313,949 | 56.5% | |
| TOTAL | 555,965 | 100% |
On the lower part of the table, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 climbed to 12th place. Meanwhile, the Dacia Spring is in the 20th position with 8,273 units.
Top brands for Plugin vehicle sales in Germany (Jan-Oct 2022)
Volkswagen dominated the top brands’ list for PEVs from January to October 2022 with a 10.7% share. Mercedes followed it with 10.0%, BMW with 9.1%, and Audi and Tesla with a similar share of 7.4%.
Top OEMs for plugin vehicle sales in Germany (Jan-Oct 2022)
Volkswagen Group has the highest market share at 26.9%. Stellantis (12.7%) is far behind, while #3 Mercedes (11.6%) defeated #4 BMW Group (11%). Meanwhile, the #6 Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance (8.1%) cannot threaten the #5 Hyundai-Kia alliance (10%).
