Renault Zoe leads sluggish EV sales in Germany
Electric car sales in Germany remain sluggish, with May 2016 sales said to be the worst in 15 months, down 18% compared to May 2015. However, it should be remembered that the slowdown in sales is probably because a host of new incentives is expected to launch soon. In terms of make and model, Renault Zoe boasted the highest sales, with 232 units sold, followed by the Audi A3 e-Tron with 119 units sold, and the Volkswagen Passat GTE with 88 units sold.

Originally published on EV Obsession.

How are electric vehicle sales in Germany going? Sales during May 2016 were apparently the worst in 15 months — with an 18% year-on-year decrease (as compared to May 2015) being observed. The electric share of the country’s total auto market for the month fell to just 0.64%, according to the EV Sales blog.

Altogether, only 1,622 electric vehicles were sold during May 2016 in the whole of Germany. Obviously, part of the reason for the relatively anemic sales is down to the fact that the new electric vehicle incentives program will begin kicking in soon. Most of the “lost” sales of recent months will likely take place shortly after the program goes into effect.

As far as individual model sales go, the Renault Zoe took the top spot, with 232 units moved. The Audi A3 e-Tron followed in second, with 119 units sold. The Volkswagen Passat GTE was third, with 88 units sold. The BMW i3 in fourth, with 86 units sold (this includes range-extended versions). And the BMW 225xe Active Tourer in fifth, with 77 units moved. That means, aside from the #1 Zoe, the next four top-sellers were from German brands. Clearly, that makes the Zoe come across as a great value for the money.

Interestingly, Renault Zoe sales were actually up 123% year-on-year in the German market — apparently unaffected by the approach of the new incentives program.

The newly updated year-to-date rankings showed some interesting changes…. While the Renault Zoe and the BMW i3 held their respective places at the top of the pile, the Audi A3 managed to climb to 3rd up from 5th. The Volkswagen Passat GTE rose one position, up to 6th. And the BMW 225xe Active Tourer rose one position as well, up to 11th. Another notable change included the Kia Soul EV rising to 14th (with 73 units sold).

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