In Europe, the 'Chinese' have sold more electric cars than Tesla

The latest data on new car registrations in Europe published by JATO Dynamics show many interesting facts. Besides the decrease in overall demand in August 2024, mainly driven by the large drop in electric vehicle registrations, the most shocking news is that all Chinese car manufacturers together registered more electric cars than Tesla.

According to the data, the combined electric car registrations of the Geely Group (which includes Volvo, Polestar and Lotus), BYD, SAIC and the other Chinese brands available in Europe totalled around 19,400 units. Meanwhile, Tesla's volume reached almost 19,100 units. This means that, after the Volkswagen Group, Chinese operators are the second largest sellers of BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) in Europe, at least in August.

The annual volume shows that these Chinese companies are 102 units behind Tesla: 197,817 units versus 197,919 units.

This is not a fair comparison

Of course, the comparison is not fair. While Tesla is considered a single company, the Chinese figures include the sum of many different companies that are not controlled by the same owners. They also include the volume of brands that are not Chinese but are wholly owned by companies from that country.

In fact, while Tesla registered 19,100 units last month, Geely, the best-selling Chinese manufacturer, registered almost 12,000 units, of which 11,800 were under the Volvo, Polestar or Lotus logo.
This is, however, a good indicator of the speed at which Chinese OEMs are gaining ground in Europe. As far as electric cars are concerned, they are far more popular than Japanese and even Korean car manufacturers.

BEV registrations in Europe by car group

BMW, Geely and BYD: the big winners of the month

Although BEVs are not having their best time these days, there are automakers that are gaining ground. BMW Group, which led the European BEV ranking in July, came third last month, but only lost 5% in terms of volume, meaning that its market share went from 8.4% in August 2023 to 12.4% a year later.

BMW i5 Touring

BMW iX2

The growth drivers were the latest arrivals: BMW i5 and iX2, MINI Cooper and Countryman. Despite the great controversy surrounding its latest models, the German manufacturer is making more progress than Mercedes-Benz Cars (-31%) with 9,076 units, and was even ahead of Stellantis, the second largest car manufacturer in Europe.

Volvo EX30

The Geely Group is another winner and the reason is the great success of the Volvo EX30. The brand registered almost 6,700 units during the month, bringing its total for the year to almost 54,000. This B-SUV was the second most popular BEV in Europe in August and the third most popular in the first eight months of the year. Other growth drivers included the Polestar 4, Lotus Eletre and Polestar 3. Geely's figures exclude the Smart brand.

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And finally there is BYD. Although its volume is still low compared to the big European brands, the brand is growing steadily. Last month, BYD registered 3,327 electric cars, an increase of 18 per cent. Drivers of growth include the BYD Seal, with over 1,000 units, the Dolphin and the Seal U. In fact, BYD surpassed MG owner SAIC for the first time ever, which recorded a 65% drop.

BYD Seal U

BEV registrations in Europe by brand

Best-selling electric cars in Europe

More Motor1 Numbers analysis:

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The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO Dynamics.

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