The Tesla Model 3 is on course to becoming the best-selling electric vehicle in Europe for 2021, reports Automotive News Europe. The American electric vehicle charted sales of 113,397 units as of November or an increase of 84%, according to data from market researcher JATO Dynamics.
The Volkswagen ID.3 is likely to claim the second EV sales spot, as the hatchback gained 125% to 63,109 units in the first 11 months of the year. Rounding up the top three best-selling EVs in Europe is the Renault Zoe, of which 60,551 units were sold in the first 11 months of 2021.
This year would mark the Model 3’s return as Europe’s bestselling EV, after having previously claimed the crown in 2019. The fully electric model was also the overall best-selling car in Europe for the month of September this year, outselling regular sales top performers the Volkswagen Golf and the Renault Clio, Automotive News Europe reported.
Electric vehicles are predicted to attain a record market share of 11% in Europe for 2021, according to European Electric Car Report author Matthias Schmidt. The sales figures for electric vehicles in Europe are “far higher than originally forecast” partly due to the microchip crisis, he said.
Amid the industry’s collective push for electric vehicle sales for car companies to stay within European Union CO2 emissions limits, some automakers risk missing those emissions targets because they are prioritising expensive, higher-margin cars with higher emissions in this time of semiconductor shortage, Schmidt observed, adding that a normal year would have seen BEV volumes account for just 8% of the mix.
In addition to the strong-selling Model 3, Tesla will be the top-selling brand in Europe with sales of around 170,000 units, although the Volkswagen Group will be the dominant company with 300,000 units this year, from its brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Cupra and Porsche all featuring pure electric vehicles in their line-ups.
Tesla’s European sales performance was bolstered in the second half of this year with the imports of the Model Y from China; the Model Y outsold the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 last month, Automotive News Europe reported.
The American EV maker will see out 2021 with an overall western Europe market share of 2%, Schmidt had forecast, which is more than double what it achieved last year as well as placing it above Jaguar Land Rover, Automotive News Europe reported.
Meanwhile, outside the podium rankings in terms of EV sales is Renault-Nissan, although the group saw strong demand for the Dacia Spring budget EV hatchback that is imported into the continent from China.
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