MUNICH -- German registrations were flat in September as sales of battery-electric cars slumped after government incentives for business buyers were ended.
New-car sales were down 0.1 percent to 224,502 during the month, according to the KBA motor transport authority.
Sales of full-electric cars fell by 35 percent to 47,097.
Incentives for business buyers to buy full-electric cars ended on Aug. 31. Tesla had offered additional discounts for company cars registered by that date.
Tesla saw its registrations plunge by 69 percent in September.
The phase out of EV incentives was the main reason for the weak September sales, Reinhard Zirpel, president of the VDIK importers association said.
September also had one less working day than the same month last year.
In this video presentation, Erin Kerrigan highlights key findings from Kerrigan Advisors’ latest Blue Sky Report. Hear how tariffs are impacting today’s buy/sell market, and which franchises are more exposed to potential valuation changes should tariffs remain post-summer selling season.
Zirpel added that the German market is still being propped up by a backlog of orders from production disruptions due to parts shortages.
The persistently low level of incoming orders is a cause for concern, he said.
Winners and losers
Winners in September included Peugeot, whose sales rose 58 percent; Citroen and Nissan, both up 41 percent; Seat, up 36 percent; and Volvo, up 36 percent.
Among German brands, Opel's registrations rose by 26 percent; BMW was up 7.7 percent; Mercedes-Benz by 5.3 percent; Audi by 4.9 percent; and VW by 4.1 percent.
Brands that lost volume included Hyundai, down 22 percent; Ford, down 16 percent; Skoda, down 13 percent; and Kia, down 12 percent.
Chinese inroads
MG Motor was the best-selling Chinese brand in September with 777 registrations, followed by Polestar with 506 sales and Great Wall Motor with 333 registrations for its Ora and Wey models. BYD's registrations were 196.
