Plugin Vehicles = 16% Share of Auto Market in Netherlands, Tesla Model 3 Still #1
Tesla Model 3 Keeps #1 Position, while Plugin Vehicle Market Share Hits 16% in June
The Dutch auto market is moving out of pandemic-related disruption, and the recovery is going faster in the plug-in vehicle sector (down only 13% in June) than the in overall market (down 39%).
This means that the PEV share of the market continues to rise, with 16% share in June, and 11% share for full electrics (BEV) alone. That pulls the 2020 PEV share to 13% (9% BEV), well above last year’s result of 6%.
Looking at last month’s sellers, we saw an interesting race, with the Kia Niro EV taking an early lead in June, only to be surpassed by the Tesla Model 3 in the last days of the month, thanks to the arrival of fresh units that propelled the sports sedan into the leadership position.
Still, it was a great month for the Kia Niro EV, as last month’s performance (542 units) represented its best result ever in Dutch lands. It seems the Korean automaker is finding enough batteries to keep ramping up production of its popular EV.
Coincidence or not, the other Kia BEV model, the Soul EV, also scored a record result last month, with 70 deliveries. Kia is rising!
Surprisingly, the Volvo XC40 PHEV ended the month in 3rd, with a record 374 registrations, being once again the best selling PHEV in this market. After a slow ramp up last year, the Swedish SUV is now delivering large volumes and proving its popularity in the Netherlands, which is a promising sign for the future XC40 BEV.
In 4th place we have the Hyundai Kona EV, with 326 units, a new year best, which means that the Czech-made units of the Korean crossover are now being delivered in large volumes, so expect the Hyundai model to continue being a familiar face in the top 5.
Looking at the 2020 ranking, while the leadership flag remained in the possession of the Tesla Model 3, the reality is that this time there was more to the story. In the beginning of June, as Model 3 inventory units had dried up, Tesla saw the Kia Niro EV surpass its sedan, with the Korean crossover becoming #1 during a couple of weeks. However, around the 23rd of June, Tesla Netherlands finally received new units, fresh from the Port of Zeebrugge, which allowed the Model 3 to run from behind and recover the lead, ending the month with a 391 unit advantage over the Kia EV.
But because Tesla only had time to ship pre-ordered units for June, in July Tesla is suffering once again from lack of inventory units, so expect the Kia Niro EV to once again go after #1 in July, with the Model 3 possibly recovering back the lead in September.
After September, it’s anyone’s guess, because by then there will be another big player in the market, the VW ID.3, so Q4 should see an entertaining race to follow.
In the PHEV category, we are witnessing an historic moment. After years leading the plugin hybrid segment in this country (a year ago the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was selling three times as much as the category #2 Volvo XC60 PHEV), in June the Japanese SUV was trounced surpassed by the rising star Volvo XC40 PHEV, the new category leader. The veteran Mitsubishi also has to watch its back from another youngster, the Ford Kuga PHEV (Euro-spec Ford Escape), which jumped two positions in June to #12, thanks to yet another record performance (164 units). So, expect Ford’s rookie to keep on rising in the coming months.
(Watching these great performances from the unassuming Kuga PHEV, I wonder how many pre-orders Ford Netherlands might have for the much more compelling Mustang Mach-E.)
Elsewhere, the ranking had other changes to talk about as well. The Hyundai Kona EV was up to #4, surpassing the sold out Opel Ampera-e, while the #11 Renault Zoe is getting closer to the #10 Volvo S/V60 PHEV, thanks to 102 registrations, a new year best, but the French hatchback will also have to look behind it — not only is the aforementioned Ford Kuga PHEV closing in (only 9 units separate the two), but the MG ZS EV jumped to #13 thanks to a year-best performance of 156 registrations and is getting closer as well.
Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!
Outside the top 20, the tiny Seat Mii EV scored a record 52 deliveries, while Porsche saw its Taycan EV score a record 46 registrations last month (as much as the Tesla Model S and X counted together), while the Cayenne PHEV had 44 deliveries in June, the SUVs best performance in almost two years.
In the manufacturer rankings, Tesla and Kia (both with 14%, up 1 percentage point), are running neck-and-neck for the leadership, with the Californian leading by just 18 units over the Korean, followed by #3 Volkswagen (11%) and #4 Volvo (9%).
Coming from behind, we have rising #5 Hyundai (8%, up 1 point), which could strive for a podium seat in the near future.
Midsize Cars
| Rank | Model | 2020 Sales |
| 1 | Tesla Model 3 | 2,690 |
| 2 | BMW 3 Series | 2,041 |
| 3 | Volvo S/V60 | 1,884 |
| 4 | Mercedes C-Class | 890 |
| 5 | Audi A4 | 739 |
Tesla’s midsizer is leading, followed by the electrified BMW 3 Series (12% PHEV units) and Volvo’s S/V60 twins (27%).
As for the remaining top 5, the local Mercedes importer has started to deliver the C300e/de PHEV versions, so there is hope for it, something that can’t be said for the 100% unplugged Audi A4. …
If we exclude the Model 3 from the tally, this is the least electrified category of the lot. Some would say that legacy OEMs are afraid to go head to head with Tesla’s best seller. …
Midsize SUVs
| Rank | Model | 2020 Sales |
| 1 | Volvo XC60 | 820 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 721 |
| 3 | BMW X3 | 666 |
| 4 | Mercedes GLC | 319 |
| 5 | Mercedes EQC | 208 |
Diversity is the word here, from the all-electric #5 Mercedes EQC to the almost all-PHEV #2 Mitsubishi Outlander (96% PHEV units), passing by the mildly pluggable #1 Volvo XC60 (27% PHEV) or the #3 BMW X3 (23%), and ending on the almost plugless #4 Mercedes GLC.
While the Volvo XC60 lost a few electrification points compared to last March, the BMW X3 increased its electrification share by 9 percentage points, to 23%, and should continue to see its plugin share increase over the next few months, while Mercedes is now starting to add PHEV units to its GLC midsize SUV. Is Mercedes finally determined to expand its plugin availability?
Full Size Cars
| Rank | Model | 2020 Sales |
| 1 | BMW 5 Series | 943 |
| 2 | Volvo S/V90 | 397 |
| 3 | Mercedes E-Class | 341 |
| 4 | Audi A6 | 268 |
| 5 | Porsche Taycan | 154 |
The leadership is in the hands of the BMW 5 Series, which has a low share of its sales being the plugin version, 13%.
But there are other models in worse shape. The #3 Mercedes E-Class has only 8% of its sales coming from its PHEV versions, while the #2 S/V90 PHEVs twins have only 6% share of the big Swede’s sales, and the #4 Audi A6 has yet to receive its PHEV units.
The only good news is the Porsche Taycan reaching the top 5. We now have one BEV model in every one of these four top 5 rankings.
Full Size SUVs
| Rank | Model | 2020 Sales |
| 1 | BMW X5 | 572 |
| 2 | Porsche Cayenne | 430 |
| 3 | Volvo XC90 | 327 |
| 4 | Audi e-tron | 287 |
| 5 | Range Rover Sport | 228 |
Unlike the full size car category, in which ICE is still king, here in behemoth-land, electrification is more advanced, with the leading BMW X5 having 60% of its sales coming from its PHEV version, the #3 Volvo XC90 having 86% electrification share, and the #5 Range Rover Sport having 87% of all its sales coming from the PHEV version.
The all-electric Audi e-tron is 4th, while the #2 Porsche Cayenne is the only model (for now) with most of its sales coming from the plugless versions, but with a 14% rise compared to last March, to the current 24% electrification rate, expect the Porsche SUV to also become a plugin-friendly model soon.
Here are sales charts from above but with “Others” (all sales of other plugin models added together) included:
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Latest CleanTechnica.TV Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
