FRANKFURT -- Tesla, Polestar and Porsche were among brands that increased sales in a German market down 27 percent in December.
New-car registrations for the month were 227,630, according to data from the country's KBA motor authority.
The December result means sales for the year were 2.62 million, 10 percent lower than an already poor 2020, when the initial outbreak of COVID-19 shuttered factories and kept buyers away from showrooms.
Sales were hit by the global shortage of semiconductors, which forced automakers to reduce production and led to a shortage of cars at dealerships.
Customers wanted to buy more cars but manufacturers but could only partially deliver because of production bottlenecks, said Reinhard Zirpel, president of the VDIK importers association.
Automakers from Volkswagen to Stellantis are hoping the semiconductor shortage will gradually ease this year but have warned supply will remain tight in the first half. Mercedes-Benz said this week it will keep in place a task force to help ease any bottlenecks that risk disrupting production.