Tesla is literally the only automaker growing so far this year in the previously hostile market of Germany.
The German auto industry is extremely strong and influential in the country, and car buyers like to buy domestically.
It has been a tough market for Tesla to crack, and it faced some challenges from regulators, like getting sued for allegedly false advertising on Autopilot and fighting over access to the EV incentives in the market.
However, Tesla appears to be turning things around — especially since more heavily investing in the market with Gigafactory Berlin.
The factory is not producing vehicles yet, but Tesla’s sales in Germany are going strong as German car buyers are getting behind the American electric car brand.
Amid the pandemic, literally every single automaker saw its sales drop in Germany except for Tesla:
Tesla had a record quarter in Germany with 6,114 deliveries, bringing this year’s total to 11,217 vehicles in 2020.
After September last year, Tesla had just over 9,000 deliveries in Germany, resulting in a 24% increase year-over-year.
As you can see in the graph above, registration data show that every other automaker saw a significant year-over-year decline in sales amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Tesla’s sales were also affected by the pandemic in Germany due to low vehicle supply in the second quarter as they were required to shut down their Fremont factory.
Electrek’s Take
It’s hard to directly link this to Gigafactory Berlin, but I believe that the project has sparked more interest in Tesla in Germany.
Either way, Tesla is doing very well in Germany, and that’s even without the Model Y.
Once Gigafactory Berlin starts production next year and it finally introduces the electric SUV in the market, I would expect an even bigger increase in delivery volume in Germany.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek