Volkswagen Edges Past Tesla in Tight German EV Race Through July With an Unsung Hero

Germany’s top automaker just took the top EV position after squeaking by Tesla in electric car registrations through July. Volkswagen leads the German EV market with its new electric van gaining momentum.

Volkswagen overtakes Tesla in the German EV market

Although Tesla has led the market up until the first half of the year, Volkswagen regained the top position this past month.

According to data from Automobilwoche, Volkswagen had 41,475 EV registrations in the first seven months of the year, compared to Tesla, with 40,289 vehicles.

After launching the electric version of its iconic minibus, the ID.Buzz last year, Volkswagen is seeing increased interest as production ramps up, which likely tipped the scale. After 2,279 ID.Buzz models were registered in the first half of the year, in July, it was 536.

Meanwhile, the ID.4 and its sporty ID.5 GTX make up the majority of registrations, with 22,405 through July. The smaller VW ID.3 was next with 13,647, while the E-Up had 2,943 registrations.

Top EV makers in the German market	Registrations Jan-July 2023
1. Volkswagen	41,475
2. Tesla	40,289
3. Mercedes-Benz	20,613
4. Audi	16,786
5. BMW	15,987
6. Hyundai	15,411

Top EV makers in Germany through July 2023 (Source: Automobilwoche)

Tesla’s Model Y electric SUV carried the bulk of registrations in the German EV market, with 29,829 through seven months. The Model 3 had 9,045, followed by the Model S (855) and Model X (494).

In third was Mercedes at the end of July with 20,613, with the EQA seeing the highest (7,813). Audi was fourth with 16,786, BMW fifth with 15,987, and Hyundai placed sixth with 15,411.

New brands like SAIC subsidiary MG are seeing higher figures with 11,638 registrations. Polestar had 4,210, while BYD gathered 632 approvals.

Electrek’s Take

With ID.Buzz electric van registrations heating up, will Volkswagen maintain or extend its lead over Tesla in the German EV market?

Volkswagen has been saying for many years it will surpass Tesla and become the global leader in EV sales. In 2010, former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn stated, “The goal is to become the market leader in E-mobility by the year 2018.” It’s seven months through 2023, and Volkswagen is coming alive in its home market. Now it’s time to pick up the pace and expand sales globally.