Although they began to be delivered in February, the Tesla Model 3 is already the best-selling car in Europe during the first five months of 2019 according to the European report on the sale of electric cars that is published monthly.
The report shows sales between January to May of this year and puts first the Model 3 followed by the Renault Zoe and the Nissan Leaf. The brand registered 25,966 registrations between January and May in the member countries of the European Union, Sweden and Norway. Because of this, the vehicle already represents 20.5% of the total electric car market in the region.
Of those records, 17,408 occurred in March, when one of the largest shipments of vehicles arrived from the Fremont factory in California, where Model 3 manufactured. A similar peak is not expected until the third quarter when deliveries of the product begin — the models with the steering wheel on the right side for the UK market.
Even so, according to analyst Matthias Schmidt, the European market does not finish taking off for Tesla, especially in Germany, the strongest market in economic terms. Less than 1000 Model 3 were sold using the ecological incentive implemented by the country, and in subsequent months the number has been reduced. It is also true that it is the most challenging market to convince since BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi are national brands.
The ecological incentive of Germany is to deliver € 2000 for buying electric cars, adding up to € 2,000 plus, discounted by the brand that makes the vehicle. As of May 31, 2019, the number of Model 3 purchased with these grants was 3956.
Model 3 already has 20% of the European electric vehicle market
The low sales of other electric models added to the strong demand of the Tesla Model 3 has managed to make this stay with 20.5% of the share of electric vehicles in the European market.
The data is especially significant considering that the vehicle began its deliveries in the region in February, with the peak mentioned above in March. The Renault Zoe is expected to have a design renovation that is expected to improve sales. The sale of the Volkswagen ID.3 will surely reduce Tesla’s market size but at the same time increase the sale of electric cars in the region.
