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According to JATO Dynamics, VW Led the EV Market in Europe – Tesla Was Third

Elon Musk used the excuse that Tesla has to focus on volumes for its current cars to say it will not deliver any new models this year. Even if that made sense because of repressed demand, the effect would be limited to the market segments where Tesla’s current vehicles belong. Europe’s 2021 sales results show it is a mistake, with Volkswagen Group leading the market one year after it started delivering the first MEB product, the ID.3.
Volkswagen ID. BUZZ went to Barcelona for a Covered Drive media test drive 78 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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That’s what JATO Dynamics revealed in an article written for Motor1 Spain. The analyst Felipe Munoz summed up all sales MEB products had – including the Skoda Enyaq iV – and some older EVs Volkswagen sold, such as the e-up!. According to Munoz, the result was that Volkswagen Group sold almost 302,000 electric vehicles in 28 European countries. That number excludes plug-in hybrids.

With this sales volume, Volkswagen reached a 25% share of all the electric cars sold in Europe in 2021, a leadership it also had in 2020. Although the Model 3 was the best-selling EV in the continent last year, it was not enough for Tesla to reach a market share larger than 13.9%, with close to 168,000 cars. Thanks to the title of this article, you already know that this was not enough for Tesla to retain second place.

That privilege was reserved for Stellantis. Although Carlos Tavares said that politicians chose the electric car, not the automotive industry, he and his team are making sure that the automaker is competitive in that scenario. According to JATO Dynamics, all the Stellantis’ brands sold almost 175,000 electric cars, representing 14.5% of the European EV market share.

While Tesla is worried about delivering more of the same, Volkswagen and Stellantis are launching multiple new electric vehicles over similar platforms. The latest example from Volkswagen was the Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV. On March 9, the company will present the ID. BUZZ, and there are plenty more models to arrive soon. Stellantis recently announced that all of its MPVs would be electric in 2022.

There’s another threat to Tesla’s dominance: Chinese cars. Elon Musk once mocked their products, and Tesla fans are sure to do the same while reading this. However, EVs of Chinese origin already have 5% of the European market, having sold almost 62,000 cars. JATO Dynamics added here brands owned by Chinese companies, such as Volvo and Polestar.

To be fair, Tesla only was the EV market leader in Europe in 2019, when it reached a 31% share thanks to the Model 3 introduction. It never got there again. That shows how urgently the brand needs a product that suits European customers' tastes.

Even if it already had one, that shows how Tesla’s goal of selling 20 million cars in 2030 is delusional, at best. With all its brands, models, and factories, Volkswagen and Toyota each only manage to sell about 10 million vehicles of all kinds in their best years. Selling only four models will never get Tesla the leadership in Europe, and we are talking about a single continent. There are plenty more, with different demands, that Tesla should have in mind if it wants to maintain such hyperbolic predictions.
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Editor's note: The gallery presents images of the Volkswagen ID. BUZZ and the Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV.

About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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