Premiere: Tesla overtaken by BMW on the EU electric car market

The German car manufacturer BMW sold more electric vehicles in the European Union for the first time in history than the American rival Tesla, and this happened in July 2024, when the German manufacturer managed to increase its deliveries in a market which, overall, it has slowed, according to Bloomberg.

The data analyzed by the consulting firm Jato Dynamics show that, in July 2024, sales of all-electric BMW cars in the EU block increased by almost a third, up to 14,869 units. Instead, Tesla deliveries fell by 16% to 14,561 units, notes Agerpres.

Even if Tesla is still the sales leader on the EU market when it comes to the situation for the first seven months of the year, the strong advance registered by BMW in July is a novelty. In total, last month, European buyers registered 139,300 new electric cars, down 6% compared to July 2023.

Demand for electric cars is falling in Europe after a number of countries, including Germany and Sweden, stopped or reduced subsidies, prompting manufacturers to review their electric car strategies.

Germany's Volkswagen Group, Europe's biggest carmaker, announced last month that it had decided to reduce capacity at high-cost factories in Germany and suggested that this could lead to delays in the launch of new electric models. For its part, the Mercedes-Benz Group is reviewing its own plans for fleet electrification and battery-powered models.

"The lack of clarity regarding subsidies and/or the future of electric cars continues to represent a barrier for consumers. These factors, together with the low residual value for electric cars, contributed to the decline recorded in July", said Felipe Munoz, analyst at Jato.

BMW bucked the downward trend thanks to robust demand for its electric cars, including the i4 and iX1, which outsold similarly sized models from rivals Mercedes and Audi. Tesla's Model Y car retained its title as the best-selling electric model in Europe in the first half of the year, but deliveries for this four-year-old model are declining.

In parallel, although the Chinese manufacturers, led by BYD Co. and SAIC Motor Corp., have gradually expanded into Europe this year, as new tariffs announced by Brussels slowed the influx of Chinese electric cars by 45 percent in July compared with June.