German auto data for 2021 shows that Tesla is beating German automakers on their own turf when it comes to electric vehicles. That’s even without Gigafactory Berlin, which has yet to start production. Should they be scared? The German auto market was down 10% in 2021 as supply chain issues and broader economical effects from the pandemic are still being felt. But the good news is that electric vehicles are up significantly in the market over the same period. All-electric and plug-in vehicles now represent 14% of the market and over 355,000 units.
Tagesschau put together a list of the top best-selling all-electric vehicles in the market, and Tesla topped the list:
- Tesla Model 3
- VW e-Up
- VW ID.3
- Renault Zoe
- Smart EQ ForTwo
- Hyundai Kona Electric
- Skoda Enyaq Electric
- VW ID.4
- Fiat 500e
- BMW i3
Every German automaker saw their sales go down in 2021, and some of them, like Mercedes-Benz, where down significantly:
| FY2021 | FY2020 | % change | ||
| 1 | VW | 489,962 | 525,612 | -6.8 |
| 2 | Mercedes | 225,392 | 303,185 | -25.7 |
| 3 | BMW | 222,481 | 240,968 | -7.7 |
| 4 | Audi | 181,877 | 213,934 | -15.0 |
| 5 | Opel | 161,852 | 146,219 | 10.7 |
| 6 | Skoda | 149,838 | 181,198 | -17.3 |
| 7 | Ford | 126,358 | 194,250 | -35.0 |
| 8 | Seat | 108,726 | 114,564 | -5.1 |
| 9 | Hyundai | 106,620 | 105,051 | 1.5 |
| 10 | Renault | 105,944 | 125,318 | -15.5 |
In the meantime, Tesla was up 137% in the German market in 2021 with 39,000 units delivered in the year.
The most impressive thing is that Tesla is achieving these results by still only importing vehicles in the market from the US and China. The automaker has built a giant new factory in Germany, and once production has ramped up at the plant, it is expected to greatly help sales in Europe, especially in Germany.
Source: electrek