Nio 25, Xpeng 162, BYD 185, MG 1,753
China vehicle sales in Germany were slightly down in February, with several exceptions. Nio was down 7%, MG was down 12%, while BYD was up 97% from the previous year. Xpeng launched in Germany in mid-2024, so no YoY data are available, but it grew 72% from January.
For comparison, Tesla registered 1,429 vehicles, down 76.3% year-on-year.
In February, 203,434 passenger cars were registered in Germany, 6% down year-on-year. Of these, 17.7% (35,949 units) were battery electric vehicles (BEVs), up 30.8% from January. Plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) registrations reached 19,534 units, with a 9.6% market share and up 34%.
The new vehicle registrations are published by the German Federal Motor Authority, which tracks new car plate registrations in the country and compiled by CarNewsChina.
February 2025 registrations in Germany
SAIC-owned MG got the first spot with 1,753 registered vehicles, up 6.6% from 1,645 units in January and down 12% from 1,986 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, MG sold 20,977 vehicles in Germany.
EU import duties hit state-owned SAIC the hardest as it was a non-cooperative company. MG is subject to an additional 35.3% tariff to the EU on top of the existing 10% duty, making the total tariff rate 45.3%.
Geely-made Smart registered 281 vehicles, down 42.7% from 490 units in January and down 77% from 1,205 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, Smart sold 12,463 vehicles in Germany.
Smart is a brand under Geely Holding that is co-engineered with Mercedes-Benz. According to the company, the Smart EVs are designed by Mercedes-Benz’s global design team, while Geely is responsible for the engineering and development of the new models. Smart cars are produced in China at Geely’s Xi’an plant, which started production in October 2021.
Another Geely Holding brand, Polestar registered 263 vehicles, up 11.9% from 235 units in January and up 60% from 164 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, Polestar sold 3,181 vehicles in Germany.
All Polestar EVs sold in Europe are China-made in Geely plants, mainly in Chengdu and Hangzhou.
Geely is subject to an additional 18.8% tariff, bringing the total import duty to 28.8%.
BYD registered 185 vehicles, down 21.3% from 235 units in January and up 97% from 94 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, BYD sold 2,891 vehicles in Germany.
Xpeng registered 162 vehicles, up 72.3% from 94 units in January, with no registrations in the same month last year. In 2024, Xpeng sold 362 vehicles in Germany.
Like Nio and other companies cooperating with the EC anti-subsidy investigation, Xpeng is subject to an additional 20.7% tariff on top of the existing 10% tariff.
GWM registered 110 vehicles, down 66.7% from 330 units in January and down 34% from 166 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, GWM sold 3,002 vehicles in Germany.
Lynk&Co registered 29 vehicles, up 625.0% from 4 units in January and up 1,350% from 2 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, Lynk&Co sold 67 vehicles in Germany.
Nio registered 25 vehicles, up 38.9% from 18 units in January and down 7% from 27 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, Nio sold 398 vehicles in Germany.
Shanghai-based EV maker entered Germany in October 2022, along with three other EU countries (Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands). The company sold 12 cars in the Netherlands in February.
Nio is subject to an additional 20.7% import tariff from the EU, and the total tariff is now 30.7%.
Lotus registered 24 vehicles, down 42.9% from 42 units in January and down 4% from 25 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, Lotus sold 365 vehicles in Germany.
As Lotus is from Geely stable, it is subject to the same 28.8% tariffs as all its brands.
Maxus registered 2 vehicles, down 71.4% from 7 units in January and down 60% from 5 vehicles in the same month last year. In 2024, Maxus sold 70 vehicles in Germany.
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