After looking at the top selling plugin vehicle models of 2022 across the world, let’s look at the auto brands that sold the most plugin vehicle models.
Top Auto Brands in World in EV Sales — December 2022
In the last stage of the 2022 race, BYD scored another record month, this time with 228,502 registrations, up 145% YoY. It again beat Tesla, which had a somewhat disappointing month. Tesla ended with 173,615 registrations, only some 4,000 units above the result of December 2021. More explanation of why Tesla cut prices in January?…
Volkswagen and BMW had record months in December, in no small part thanks to the sales rush in their native Germany. That allowed them to surpass SGMW and become 3rd and 4th, respectively, in December. Will this be something they repeat in 2023?
Just below this trio, we have a surprising performance, with Changan jumping 237% YoY to a record 40,630 units, thanks to the success of its Three Musketeers (Lumin, Benni EV, Shenlan SL03). That allowed the automaker to end December in 6th.
In #8 we have Volvo scoring an impressive 31,604 registrations, its second record performance in a row.
In the bottom half of the table, there were plenty of records, with a highlight being #14 Ford, which scored a record 22,372 registrations, up 94% YoY. Additionally, Li Auto had its second record performance in a row, with 21,233 registrations, an amazing performance considering it is being done with high-end models. With the startup said to launch its two mass market vehicles in the second half of the year, the midsize L6 and L5, expect the brand to have a wide margin of progression throughout 2023 and 2024.
Near the bottom of the table, but also with impressive results, we have #19 NIO. Thanks to mass deliveries of its ET5 midsize sedan, NIO reached 15,976 registrations in December, its second straight record score. And then in #20 we have Jeep(!), at this moment Stellantis’ best selling brand. It got 14,137 registrations, also a second record result in a row, pulling the US brand into the table. With the small Avenger EV to land in Europe this year, and the Grand Cherokee PHEV production ramp-up developing in the coming months, expect Jeep to remain a strong candidate for some top 20 appearances in 2023.
Top Auto Brands in EV Sales — January–December 2022
After a walk in the park in 2019, 2020 and 2021, Tesla this time was beaten by BYD by a significant margin. With its market share slowly eroding (17% in 2019, 16% in 2020, 14% in 2021, and 13% now), possibly stabilizing around 10% in the future, the US automaker will need to diversify its lineup to have a shot at #1. Expect the future (2025?) platform for cheaper, compact vehicles to offer the volume and diversity needed to return to the leadership position.
As for the Chinese automaker, do not expect it to grow in 2023 as feverishly as in 2022. BYD’s room for growth in its domestic market won’t be as significant as it was last year. With the make already on the overall Chinese automaker podium, the demand ceiling is coming closer. On the other hand, BYD is said to be betting heavily on overseas markets in 2023, so exports could be the path to remain in accelerated growth. There is a chance it could happen, but it is far from being a sure thing.
The SGMW joint venture repeated its bronze medal of 2021, while Volkswagen remained in 4th.
BMW and Mercedes regained their 2021 (and 2020) positions in 2022. SAIC was up one spot in December to #8, which was still below the #7 spot it had in 2021. That was due to the irresistible rise of GAC, which jumped from #14 in 2021 to its current #7 spot.
Another make on the rise was Changan, which jumped three positions in December to #9. That’s a massive 11 position improvement over 2021. The automaker is set to launch a new midsize crossover, called the Shenlan S7. If that meets the same success as most of the recent launches of the brand, we could see it climb a few more positions in the table during 2023.
There was no other major news in the first half of the table, but in the second half, there were a couple of other position changes. Geely climbed to #12, while Li Auto profited from its current peak form and returned to the table at #18.
Finally, outside the top 20, we should mention NIO, which ended some 5,000 units below #20 Peugeot. It will certainly try to return to the best sellers table.
Next up: the best selling automotive groups and alliances in the world for plugin vehicles overall and for pure electrics. Stay tuned!