German BEV sales under high tension: 31.7% of all passenger vehicles registered in August were battery-operated, Germany’s regulator Kraftfahrt Bundesamt says. For the first time, BEVs beat gas cars (27.6%). Registrations of battery-electric vehicles exploded by 170.7% compared to August 2022. Much of the run on BEVs was caused by last-minute grabs of government subsidies. Starting in September, EVs owned by businesses are no longer subsidized.
Tesla was unable to profit much from the electric stampede, its share of August BEV registrations remained at 8%. Volkswagen Group commands the highest share of BEVs, but it has been higher in previous months. German auto execs cast worried glances at the steady growth of Chinese BEVs. SAIC, Great Wall, BYD and Geely Group each commanded a market share over 2% in August. Taken together, Chinese BEVs outsold Tesla.
Year-to-date, the picture looks a bit better for Tesla, but it is far from disrupting the German BEV market. German car execs worry more about a Chinese invasion.
