Tesla overtakes Toyota in Germany, boosted by China-made Model Y, BEVs become mainstream

The global chip has in a rather ironic twist of fate, played into Tesla’s hands better than any other mainstream car maker. Total new car sales in Germany totalled 196,972 units in September 2021, down 25.7 percent but BEV-only brands like Polestar and Tesla bucked the trend.

Data from the German KBA (Federal Motor Transport authority) show that Tesla delivered 7,903 cars in September 2021, up 157.8 percent over the previous month while Toyota dropped 5.2 percent to 7,394 cars.

Cumulative sales from January to September 2021 was 25,970 units and 55,784 units respectively for Tesla and Toyota, so September’s numbers are more a temporary abnormality.

While Tesla is still far from being a high volume player like Toyota, it is however no longer a niche brand, as Tesla’s cumulative sales of 25,970 units for this year is already more than that of Nissan (21,276 units), Honda (5,723 units), and is almost on par with Mitsubishi (26,250 units) and Mazda (30,867 units).

Market leader Volkswagen saw a massive 23.3 percent drop, but with 31,002 units delivered, it still holds the top position in Germany. Cumulative sales stands at 393,519 units.

Tesla’s growth in Germany is aided by strong response for the Model Y, which for now, is imported from China, as is the Model 3.

Tesla is building a plant in Berlin but it won’t be operational until the end of this year.

Polestar is still a small player, selling a measly 311 units, but it’s a 108.7 percent increase.

Total sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) grew 59 percent in September, reaching 33,655 units.

Nearly 1 in 5 new car sold in Germany is a BEV (17.1 market share), eclipsing diesels (15.9 percent market share).

Plug-in hybrids are the least preferred by Germans, at 11.6 percent.