Move over Norway, because Germany is the new European sales leader for electric vehicles. For the first time in roughly a decade, Norway cedes its title as Europe’s biggest EV market.
- Through November of this year, more than 57,000 EVs have been sold in Germany.
- Norway isn’t far behind, however, with sales of more than 56,000 EVs during the same time period.
- Germany is enacting bigger EV subsidies as automakers like VW, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz get ready to introduce dozens of new electric cars and trucks over the next few years.
It was an impressive run, but Norway is about to give up its crown as being the electric vehicle sales leader across Europe. Germany will soon take the mantle, as the country’s EV sales have steadily climbed upward and look ready to take off, thanks in no small part to new government subsidies and dozens of electric cars and SUVs set to go on sale in the coming years.
The Volkswagen ID.3 goes on sale in Europe next year. The four-door hatchback starts at $33,000 and will have a driving range of between 200-350 miles per charge. (Photo: Volkswagen)
This announcement comes via Automotive News Europe, which put German EV sales through November of this year at exactly 57,533. That’s only a slim lead over Norway’s latest EV sales total of 56,893, however. These figures should also come with the caveat that the population of Norway stands at about 5.3 million inhabitants. That’s less than the population of only the greater Berlin metropolitan area, and vastly smaller than Germany’s total population of more than 80 million people.
Electric cars aren’t the only focus. Plug-in hybrid models, like the recently introduced BMW X3 xDrive30e seen here, are also due increased subsidies in Germany. (Photo: BMW)
Germany’s edge in EV sales looks set to increase soon, thanks to government incentives aimed at lowering the price of electric vehicles which cost less than 40,000 euros (or about $44,000 at current exchange rates). This would include hotly anticipated Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback. The ID.3 is one of dozens of German electric cars set to go on sale in the near future. With a starting price of about $33,000, the ID.3 arrives in Europe in mid-2020. The newly enacted German government-approved subsidies will push the price down by more than $6,000.
WHY THIS MATTERS
In terms of population, this is a battle between David and Goliath – though in this instance, Goliath has more EVs in his garage. While Germany has something of a hollow victory here, the uptick in the country’s EV sales remains a positive trend, as the both the German government and German automakers work to make electric vehicles appeal to a wider audience.
