In September, Tesla’s Model 3 has became the first electric vehicle (EV ) to top the general model rankings - Tesla also outsold some established brands for the period.
As a result of the EV boom, the Tesla Model 3 topped the European model rankings in September, with 24,600 registered units, a 2.6 per cent market-share. This is both first time that an EV has led the market and the first time that a vehicle manufactured outside of Europe has occupied the top spot.
The strong performance of the Model 3 is in part explained by Tesla’s intensive end-of-quarter sales push. September has historically been a strong month for the US manufacturer’s registration results in Europe, on average accounting for 68 per cent of its third quarter deliveries since 2018. Last month, registrations accounted for 74 per cent of third quarter volume. Since its’ entry to the European market, the Model Y has also performed well, securing second position in the BEV ranking.
Due to the success of these two models, Tesla leads the BEV market with a share of 24 per cent, ahead of the Volkswagen Group with 22 per cent, Stellantis with 13 per cent, and Hyundai-Kia with almost 11 per cent.
September was also a month when new car registrations fall by 25 per cent due to the chip shortages slowing production down, and many buyers as a result, unwilling to wait more than a year for a new car, many have turned to purchasing used cars.
Manufacturers with a large offering of pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars have been less impacted by the current crisis, as European consumers continue to take advantage of the various incentives and subsidies available for these vehicles. In stark contrast, both the chip shortage and the growing severity of the climate crisis has caused diesel vehicle sales to plummet. In September, low emission vehicles posted a monthly growth of 44 per cent, to 221,500 units, while the registrations of diesels decreased by 51 per cent, to 167,000 units.
Before the pandemic, there were 10.3 new diesel cars registered for every electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Today, that ratio has decreased to just 1.3.
