The full-electric Porsche Taycan was Europe's top-selling luxury sedan in 2021. It was one of two EVs -- the other was the Tesla Model 3 -- to win one of the segments tracked by Automotive News Europe.
Full-electric cars topped two vehicle segments in Europe last year as battery-powered models became more mainstream.
The Tesla Model 3 overtook the BMW 3 Series to become the No. 1 premium midsize car with sales of 142,233, according to figures from market analyst Dataforce.
Sales of the Tesla sedan rose 62 percent in 2021, while those of the 3 Series dropped slightly to 116,228.
Elsewhere, the full-electric Porsche Taycan claimed the top spot among luxury sedans for the second year, increasing sales by 42 percent to 17,094 to remain ahead of the Mercedes S-Class.
The Taycan also finished well ahead of its stablemate, the Panamera sedan and wagon, which had 5,285 sales, of which over three-quarters were plug-in hybrids.
Full-electric cars accounted for 9.1 percent of Europe’s overall sales last year, with a volume that exceeded the one million mark for the first time, according to data from industry group ACEA. The rapid growth came from a low base of just 1.9 percent of sales in 2019.
Germany was the biggest market for EVs, with sales of 356,425. Tesla, which last month opened a car plant near Berlin, accounted for 11 percent of that total at a volume of 39,714, according to the country’s motor authority.
Model Y on the rise
The Tesla Model Y finished fifth in the premium midsize SUV category, with a volume of 26,625, despite European sales for the model only coming up to full speed in the second half of last year.
The Model Y’s 2021 success could foreshadow a further rise in the ranking in the segment, which was topped by the Mercedes-Benz GLC last year.
The Model Y beat full-electric models from more established rivals such as the Mercedes EQC and Audi e-tron in the sector despite the Tesla SUV's shorter sales period.
Electric cars are slowly making their way up the rankings of other segments as European legislation forces automakers to shift their focus toward zero-emission models.
The full-electric VW ID4 narrowly missed topping Europe's midsize SUV segment in 2021.
In the midsize SUV category, the full-electric VW ID4 was narrowly outsold by the combustion-powered Skoda Kodiaq (58,070 to 54,935).
However, the ID4 looks certain to take the top spot from the Kodiaq this year based on current growth trajectories, with Skoda’s electric Enyaq iV also posting strong sales last year to finish fourth behind the Peugeot 5008.
Other EV entrants in the midsize SUV segment include the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Ford Mustang Mach-E. They will be joined by the Nissan Ariya and Toyota BZ4X.
In the minicar category the Fiat New 500 finished No. 8, while a little more than half the sales of the No. 4-ranked VW Up came from the full electric e-Up version. The electric-only Smart ForTwo and Dacia Spring finished 12th and 13th, respectively, in the minicar segment.
Premium plug-in hybrids
Plug-in hybrids are also playing a greater role, particularly in Europe’s premium segments.
For example, the drivetrain accounted for 25 percent of sales of the region’s leading compact premium car, the Mercedes A-Class.
In the large premium class, the plug-in hybrid version of the segment-leading BMW 5 Series accounted for 31 percent of the model family’s sales, according to Dataforce figures.
The percentages were even higher for plug-in hybrid versions of some SUVs. The No. 1-selling premium midsize SUV, the Mercedes GLC, got half of its sales from the powertrain. The No. 2 SUV in the segment, the Volvo XC60, got 43 percent.
Nearly half of the Mercedes GLE's sales were plug-in hybrids last year.
In the large premium SUV class, 49 percent of sales of the segment-leading Mercedes GLE were plug-in hybrids, the majority being diesel plug-in hybrids, with the gasoline version of the powertrain being less popular.
The plug-in hybrid version of the segment’s No. 2-seller, the BMW X5, represented 54 percent of the model family’s sales for the year, according to the Dataforce.
Full-electric models have been slower to arrive in the premium SUV segments, but models such as the BMW iX and the forthcoming Mercedes EQE are expected to play a greater role in 2022.
In total, plug-in hybrids were just behind full-electric models in sales last year, resulting in an 8.9 percent share in Europe. Plug-in hybrids also managed to cross the 1-million sales threshold for the first time in Europe.
Combined, vehicles with a plug just missed overtaking diesels, which suffered a 33 percent decline to 2,078,022, resulting in a 20 percent market share, down from a 28 percent share in 2020, according to ACEA figures.
Small cars remain Europe's No. 1 segment
Small cars maintained a slender lead over small SUVs to remain Europe’s best-selling car type with a volume of 1,864,641 million, down 7 percent on the year before. Small SUVs rose 9.8 percent in 2021, led by the Peugeot 2008, to record 1,860,166 million sales.
Compact SUVs overtook combined sales of compact hatchbacks, wagons and sedans by posting an 8.8 percent gain to 1.56 million compared with a 14 percent drop to 1.48 million for regular compacts.
The new-generation Hyundai Tucson rose to the top of the compact SUV ranking because of a 65 percent sales increase to 149,559, putting it ahead off the Peugeot 3008, VW Tiguan and Toyota C-HR in the process.
The open-top version of the VW T-Roc small SUV has revived the Europe's volume convertible segment.
One sector that has seen sales plummet in recent years made a surprised comeback as the softtop version of the VW T-Roc small SUV energized the volume convertible segment, with sales of 20,436, doubling its volume from 2020.
The overall segment rose 35 percent last year to 34,974 units after years of declines.
