German sales fall 35% in Oct., but EVs continue to gain

FRANKFURT -- Tesla was the top sales winner in Germany last month as traditional rivals including Mercedes-Benz and Audi saw demand plunge because of the ongoing microchip shortage.

Overall registrations for the month fell 35 percent to 178,683, according to data from the KBA motor authority.

Tesla's volume grew 483 percent as electric cars continued to gain market share in Europe's largest vehicle market. The automaker's registrations rose to 1,469.

Tesla has benefitted from exports of its Model Y crossover from China to Europe, which began in August. The company plans to build the EV in Germany at its plant near Berlin.

Volvo's EV brand, Polestar, also benefitted from Germany's boom for battery-powered cars, with am 85 percent increase in registrations.

Total EV sales rose 32 percent, resulting in a 17.1 market share for the month.

Plug-in-hybrid registrations fell 4.5 percent, resulting in a 13.3 percent share.

Diesel sales declined 57 percent for a 17.3 percent share, while gasoline vehicles fell 44 percent to give the drivetrain a 36.2 percent share.

Volkswagen brand's sales dipped 40 percent in October. Sibling premium marque Audi fell 58 percent. Skoda was down by 55 percent while Porsche's volume slid down 0.8 percent.

Mercedes-Benz plunged 45 percent, while Ford and Toyota both fell 40 percent.

Among Stellantis brands, Citroen fell 38 percent, Opel 28 percent, Fiat 20 percent and Peugeot 16 percent.

BMW fell 16 percent.

Hyundai volume dropped 23 percent, while Kia was down 7.1 percent.

Click here for German sales in October

The month's other winners included Mitsubishi, whose registrations rose 5.9 percent, Jeep, up 4.5 percent and DS Automobiles, which gained 1.1 percent

Sales to both private and business customers dropped by 35 percent, giving a market share of 61.8 percent and 38.1 percent respectively.

Overall registrations through October were down 5.2 percent to 2.2 million.