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Stellantis Beats Tesla in Europe, Still Lags Behind Volkswagen's Leadership in BEVs

Tesla investors and fans usually think that the company is unbeatable when it comes to electric vehicles. Little did they know that Stellantis sold more EVs in Europe in the first half of the year than the American EV maker did. Neither managed to sell as many battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as the Volkswagen Group.
Stellantis was the second largest BEV seller in Europe in Q1 2022 9 photos
Photo: Stellantis
Stellantis was the second largest BEV seller in Europe in Q1 2022Stellantis was the second largest BEV seller in Europe in Q1 2022Check All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV Architectures
According to Automotive News, the German carmaker sold 116,307 BEVs in the first half of 2022. Stellantis’ gap is slightly above 10,000 units, with 105,413 electric cars. Tesla sold only 78,277 BEVs in the same period. Market analysts blame the Shanghai lockdown for the poor sales. Giga Grünheide opened in March, but scaling up production has been a challenge. Allegedly, more than 50% of the cast parts it makes there are rejected for final assembly.

One of the secrets for Stellantis to sell so well is the variety of EVs it has to offer across its multiple brands. In the B-segment, the company has the Opel Corsa-e, Mokka-e, Peugeot e-208, e-2008, DS 3 Crossback E-Tense, and Citroën e-C4, all of them based on the eCMP platform. The best-selling EV in Germany and Italy was the Fiat 500e. Tesla has only four models, one of them with over ten years in the market without any meaningful change. It promised to build a $25,000 EV but postponed the plans because it had “too much” on its plate.

The Volkswagen Group is also yet to deliver an affordable EV. Still, its MEB platform has given it multiple products so far: Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, Cupra Born, Skoda Enyaq iV, and Enyaq Coupe IV. The ID. Buzz is yet to reach its first customers, and the Cupra Tavascan should have its production version introduced soon.

The German carmaker also has other EV platforms, such as the PPE that underpins the Porsche Taycan, Taycan Cross Turismo, Taycan Sport Turismo, and Audi e-tron GT. The Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback use a heavily modified ICE platform, the MLB Evo.

Stellantis plans to reach Volkswagen with new electric vehicles soon, apart from reinforcing the sales of its current BEVs. The German automaker will also present the ID. Aero and other new EVs in the following months. Tesla’s best plan is to increase the production of its current vehicles, which will probably not be enough to remain among the largest EV sellers. Manufacturing the Cybertruck and the second-generation Roadster would be a good start but might not be enough.
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Editor's note: The gallery contains images of the future Stellantis platforms, which will also uinderpins BEVs.

 Download: Stellantis H1 2022 earnings presentation (PDF)

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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