European sales list in January: 3 Chinese cars on the list

According to Clean Technica data, in January 2024, European new energy vehicle sales were 198,993 units, a month-on-month decrease of 32.4% and a year-on-year increase of 25.9%. Although EV incentives have declined in some European countries, pure electric vehicles (+29%) continue to grow; plug-in hybrids are also growing, up 23% year-on-year. Compared with January last year, except for the Tesla Model Y, which still holds the top spot, the rankings of other models have changed. Thanks to the increase in sales of new models, Tesla Model 3 once again won the runner-up position; Audi Q4 e-tron stood on the podium for the first time. The former runner-up Volvo XC40 (BEV+PHEV) dropped 22.5% year-on-year to fifth on the list, while its brother XC60 sales increased by 48% and ranked sixth.

It is worth mentioning that among the TOP20, three cars from Chinese brands (MG MG4, Volvo XC40/XC60) are on the list. Among them, the sales volume of MG4 in January surged 55% year-on-year to 3,544 units, and its ranking jumped to seventh. It is expected to enter the top five in the future. In addition to these three cars, there are two other cars from Chinese brands that have entered the TOP20. Among them, the Lynk & Co 01 PHEV, which was on the list for the first time in January last year, failed to make the list, and even the Polestar 2, which was on the list in 2022, has not been on the list again since entering 2023. In the Volkswagen Legion, the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 that were once on the list have all been off the list. Instead, three cars from Audi (Audi Q4 e-tron, Audi A3 PHEV, Audi Q3 PHEV) are on the list.

#01 

Tesla Model 3 returns to the top three, Audi Q4 e-tron takes third place for the first time

Tesla Model Y once again topped the list with sales of 11,425 units in January. Its main market is Germany (2,293 units). This is followed by France (1,477 units), the Netherlands (1,141 units) and Belgium (430 units). Tesla Model 3 ranked second with sales of 6,479 units, and its sales recovered as production capacity of the new model increased. By country, Model 3 sales were mainly concentrated in France (1,623 units), followed by Germany (695 units), the United Kingdom (770 units) and Spain (737 units). The Audi Q4 e-tron was the most popular German car in January, with sales reaching 4,979 units, making it the best-selling model based on the MEB platform. Audi sales are mainly distributed in three countries: Germany (1,424 units), the United Kingdom (1,050 units) and Belgium (728 units).

Skoda Enyaq's sales of 4,816 units in January kept it out of the podium, but it was still a good result, with the Czech model continuing to appear in the top five. Regarding the market distribution in January, Germany (1,457 units), the UK ranked second with only 610 units, and Belgium ranked third with 518 units. With electrification a top priority for Volvo, the Swedish brand joins Porsche as one of the two most electrified traditional carmakers in Europe. Therefore, the Volvo XC40 (EV+PHEV) is the only model with pure electric and PHEV versions and is the brand’s sales champion. Registrations for the compact SUV reached 4,554 units in January, with the majority coming from the all-electric version (4,371 units), underscoring the brand's growth prospects in pure electric vehicles. The main markets for the XC40 in January were the Netherlands (1,021 units), Belgium (797 units), Sweden (567 units) and the UK (520 units).

Outside the top five, BMW had a strong January. Not only does the BMW i4 rank in the top ten (ninth with 3,473 units sold), but its PHEV counterpart, the BMW 3 Series PHEV, ranks 16th with 2,726 units sold. Combined, the two cars would put the BMW midsize car in the same league as the Tesla Model 3 at 6,199 units! The Peugeot brand also had a strong performance in January.

With the exception of the small car e-208, which ranked 11th with sales of 3,275 units, the French model achieved its best result since September as newer models increased in volume. Its larger sibling, the 308 hatchback, achieved record sales of 2,637 units in January, propelling it into 18th place in the rankings. This was mainly due to increased deliveries of the fully electric version, which sold 577 units in January. Second-generation Hyundai Kona EV, ranked 20th, is expected to be the electric crossover that will become the Korean brand's star in Europe. In addition to the top 20, there are a few models worth mentioning, such as the Volvo EX30, which sold 2,244 units in its first month on the market. Expect Volvo's small crossover to make its way onto the charts soon. But a real question is, does the success of the EX30 mean a sharp decline in sales of the brand's current best-selling XC40? Within the Volkswagen Group, three Audi models (Q4 e-tron, Audi A3 PHEV, Audi Q3 PHEV) enter the rankings. The Audi Q8 e-tron ranked 21st with sales of 2,507 units, ahead of the Volkswagen ID.3 (1,998 units) and ID.4 (2,227 units).

It is worth noting that of the top 20 on the list, only four models (MG4, Peugeot e-208, Fiat 500e and Dacia Spring) fall below the €35,000 threshold. So it's clear that EVs tend to be in the pricier segment.

#02 

BMW’s market share is as high as 10.3%

In the ranking of car manufacturers, BMW (10.3%) once again leads the way, followed by Tesla (9.1%) and Mercedes (9%) in second and third place respectively. Audi (8.3%) and Volvo (7.8%) ranked fourth and fifth.

Outside the top five, Volkswagen in sixth place and Kia in seventh place only account for 5% share. Volkswagen, the German brand, has had a slow start this year but is expected to return to the top five soon. Peugeot is in eighth place with a 4.8% share, but unlike Volkswagen, the French brand doesn't seem to have the potential to break into the top five anytime soon. Looking at manufacturer groups, Volkswagen Group led the way with a 20.5% share at the start of the year, which was down slightly from 20.7% in January 2023. Runner-up Stellantis has a market share of 12%, down from 14.1% in January 2023. The German conglomerate Volkswagen is therefore expected to win easily again in 2024.

BMW Group (11%) is in third place, with an increase of 0.7% compared to January 2023, which means it knocks Geely-Volvo (9.6%) off the podium into fourth place. Mercedes-Benz ranks fifth with a market share of 9.5%, while Tesla (9.1%) improves its ranking to sixth. Hyundai-Kia (8.7%) market share fell by 0.4% compared with 9.1% in January 2023, and its ranking dropped from fifth to seventh. Renault-Nissan, which was ranked seventh in January last year, was knocked out of the list.

#03 

Subsidies are declining in many European countries, and sales growth may slow down

This year many European countries announced tightening of subsidy policies for new energy vehicles. Among them, the subsidy policies of Germany, France, the Netherlands, etc. have changed significantly. Germany will end its electric vehicle subsidy program one year ahead of schedule starting on December 18, 2023. The subsidy was originally planned to be implemented until the end of 2024. France announced that starting in 2024, BEV and FCV vehicles under 47,000 euros will receive subsidies of up to 7,000 euros. But at the same time, a list of electric vehicle models that enjoy policy subsidies is also given. However, it is worth noting that judging from the published list of electric vehicle models eligible for government subsidies, electric vehicles produced in China have been excluded. The Dacia Spring, Tesla Model 3 and MG4, BYD Atto 3 and Dolphin are not eligible for the subsidy. Starting in 2024, the Dutch subsidy for new BEV vehicles purchased by individuals under 45,000 euros will drop by 400 euros to 2,550 euros. As early as June last year, the UK announced the cancellation of the 1,500 pound/vehicle electric vehicle subsidy plan. With the reduction or cancellation of electric vehicle subsidies in many European countries, the growth rate of electric vehicle sales in Europe is slowing down or is about to slow down due to the imperfect industrial chain.