Photo: KBA
September 2020 was a so and so month for new cars in Germany. Porsche and Opel sales are on a downward spiral, and the same can be said about imports from DS, Mazda, and SsangYong.
The Federal Motor Transport Authority – known as the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt or KBA for short – paints a bleak picture for every carmaker in Deutschland with the exception of Tesla in terms of year-over-year increases. The Palo Alto-based company is the only one with positive results, and at 24.5 percent compared to the period from January to September 2019, it’s a formidable growth given the global health crisis.
What comes as a bit of a surprise is that Tesla has also been affected by the health crisis and that the Model Y for Germany is scheduled to start production in 2021. KBA further highlights that alternative drive is gaining traction in this part of the world, reporting three-digit increases compared to the month of September 2019.
No fewer than 21,188 EVs were registered last month, along with 54,036 hybrids and 20,127 plug-in hybrids. LPG and CNG vehicles have also posted positive results while “registrations of gasoline cars fell by 17.6 percent.”
It’s hard to explain why German customers prefer Tesla over traditional automakers when it comes to EVs, but these figures should make Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz think twice about their half-hearted commitment to electric vehicles. Worse still for German brands, Gigafactory Berlin will start production in July 2021.
That’s where the European specification of the Model Y will be made, translating to competitive pricing by circumventing the 10-percent import duty on motor vehicles. The Long Range AWD is currently listed at 58,620 euros, and at current exchange rates, that works out to $69,045 before the government’s incentive.
The closest rivals of the Model Y in Germany are the rear-wheel-drive BMW iX3 at 68,040 euros, Audi e-tron at 67,358 euros, and the Mercedes EQC at 69,484 euros. Considering that the Model Y offers 501 kilometers (311 miles) of range and the premium interior as standard, it’s easy to understand why domestic brands are struggling to push their EVs over Tesla's lineup.
What comes as a bit of a surprise is that Tesla has also been affected by the health crisis and that the Model Y for Germany is scheduled to start production in 2021. KBA further highlights that alternative drive is gaining traction in this part of the world, reporting three-digit increases compared to the month of September 2019.
No fewer than 21,188 EVs were registered last month, along with 54,036 hybrids and 20,127 plug-in hybrids. LPG and CNG vehicles have also posted positive results while “registrations of gasoline cars fell by 17.6 percent.”
It’s hard to explain why German customers prefer Tesla over traditional automakers when it comes to EVs, but these figures should make Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz think twice about their half-hearted commitment to electric vehicles. Worse still for German brands, Gigafactory Berlin will start production in July 2021.
That’s where the European specification of the Model Y will be made, translating to competitive pricing by circumventing the 10-percent import duty on motor vehicles. The Long Range AWD is currently listed at 58,620 euros, and at current exchange rates, that works out to $69,045 before the government’s incentive.
The closest rivals of the Model Y in Germany are the rear-wheel-drive BMW iX3 at 68,040 euros, Audi e-tron at 67,358 euros, and the Mercedes EQC at 69,484 euros. Considering that the Model Y offers 501 kilometers (311 miles) of range and the premium interior as standard, it’s easy to understand why domestic brands are struggling to push their EVs over Tesla's lineup.
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