Belgium September 2016

Image result for bmw x5 40e vs volvo xc90 t8 belgium

The Three SUV's ~~Of the Apocalipse~~ that lead the Belgian EV market

Records Galore Edition

September was a record month in Belgium, with plug-ins prolonging the 2016 hot sales trend for another month, with 1.006 units, up 224%(!), with the EV Share up to a record 1.7%, a stark departure from the 0.7% of last year.

As usual in this fashion-victim market, trendy Tesla and SUV's continue to rule, with 6 out of the top 7 places in September belonging to such vehicles: The BMW X5 PHEV (170 units, personal record) won another Monthly Best-Seller trophy, followed by the arch rival Volvo XC90 T8 (132 units) and the Tesla Model S (74), while tied in #4 we have the Tesla Model X and BMW 330e, with 72 units. In #6 we have the Porsche Cayenne Plug-in (67 units), followed by the Audi Q7 e-Tron (58), another model that seems destined for success in this market.

Next to all these shiny & trendy plug-ins, the BMW sedan almost looks like a plebeian...

Looking at the YTD ranking, no surprises in the top positions, we have to go down to #12 to see some changes, with the VW Passat GTE (22 units) rising one position to #12, but the headline news are the Tesla Model X shooting 13 positions to #15 and the Audi Q7 e-Tron up 9 positions to #17

Underlining the never-ending appetite of this market for SUV's, the Mercedes GLC350e (34 units, pb) was also up, to #19.

Another model with a great start is the BMW 740e, which scored 51 units, with only two months on the market, is already ahead of the F-segment, leaving the Merc S500e to shame...

In the manufacturers ranking, leader BMW (30%, up 1%) continues to increase share, while Volvo (20%) is Second. There is an interesting race for Third Place, with Porsche (10%), Mercedes (10%) and Tesla (9%) all running for the last place of the podium.

Looking at the BEV/PHEV breakdown, Belgium is starting to look more and more like the Netherlands, with plug-in hybrids increasing their share to 74%, up 21%(!) regarding last year.

Belgium

Sept.

YTD

'15Pl

Volvo XC90 T8

132

1.296

BMW X5 40e

170

999

3
4

Porsche Cayenne Plug-In
Tesla Model S

67
74

657
531

9
7

2
1

Nissan Leaf

393

BMW 225xe Active Tourer

373

N/A

BMW 330e

325

N/A

BMW i3 *

284

Mercedes C350e

239

Mercedes GLE500e

216

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

171

12
13
14
15
16
17
18

Volkswagen Passat GTE
Renault Zoe
Audi A3 e-Tron
Tesla Model X
Volvo V60 Plug-In
Audi Q7 e-Tron
BMW i8

22
11
2
72
9
58
10

165
164

101
99
98
97

2
2
1
1
1
1
1

33
18
7
N/A
4
N/A
9

Mercedes GLC350e
Volkswagen Golf GTE
Mercedes B250e
BMW 740e
Mercedes S500e

34
9
8
51
2

93
82
81

69
68

1
1
1

1
1

N/A
5
11
N/A
14

25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34

Toyota Prius Plug-In
Nissan e-NV200 / Evalia **
Renault Twizy
Porsche Panamera Plug-In
Renault Kangoo ZE
Volkswagen e-Golf
Kia Soul EV
Peugeot iOn
Citroen C-Zero
Volkswagen e-Up!
Citröen e-Mehari

Others

20
6
12
1
1
2
2
4
1

2

65
62
56
44
34
25
18
14
13
7
21

1
1
1

0
0
0
0
0

25
21
15

10
N/A

20
24

N/A

TOTAL

1.006

7.120

100

Source: FEBIAC

* - 21 Bev + 16 Rex
** - 3 Pass + 3 LCV

Plug-Ins Versus Regular Hybrids

Pl	Model	*Sept. 2016*
1	Toyota RAV4 Hybrid	277
2	Toyota Auris Hybrid	249
3	BMW X5 40e	170
4	Toyota Yaris Hybrid	152
5	Volvo XC90 T8	132

If we combine September regular hybrid sales with plug-ins, the Toyota Hybrids lost the last place of the podium to the BMW X5 PHEV, while the trendiest of the Toyota's, the RAV4, retained highest place of the ranking.

Last month there was a second plug-in joining this Top 5, with the Volvo XC90 T8 reaching the Fifth Place, ahead of the Toyota Prius (112 units).