In January, excluding the Chinese market, Volkswagen Group surpassed Tesla to become the top global electric vehicle (EV) seller, with Hyundai Motor Group ranking third. According to market research firm SNE Research, the global sales of EVs, excluding China, rose by 16.4% year-on-year, reaching approximately 463,000 units.
Volkswagen Group led the sales chart with a 68.5% increase from the previous year, selling 82,000 units. The growth was driven by strong sales of models such as the ID.3, ID.4, ID.7, Q4 e-Tron, and ENYAQ.
Tesla’s sales dropped by 14.7% to 57,000 units due to weak performance of its main models, Model 3 and Model Y, dropping its rank from first to second. Tesla’s sales in Europe decreased by 45.9%, and in North America by 2.1%. This year, Tesla plans to launch more affordable EVs and enhance its Fully Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities.
Hyundai ranked third, with sales rising 8.4% year-on-year to 37,000 units. This was attributed to improved product appeal due to the launch of facelift models of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Kia’s EV6. Additionally, global sales of Kia’s EV3 and EV9 are also increasing. Hyundai showed strength in the North American market, surpassing the delivery numbers of Stellantis, Ford, and GM. Kia is also accelerating its efforts in the European market by unveiling the midsize sedan EV4 and small electric SUV EV2 in Spain.
BMW secured fourth place with a 19.7% increase, selling 34,000 units, while Stellantis sold 31,000 units, marking a 23% decrease.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD sold 27,000 units, a 24.8% increase, ranking eighth. Toyota, the world’s top car seller by volume, sold 19,000 units.
Europe’s EV market, which faced stagnation last year, showed recovery with a 20.5% year-on-year increase, selling 248,000 units in January. This recovery is attributed to enhanced environmental regulations and an expansion of lineup centered on small EVs. In North America, sales grew by 10.9% to 132,000 units. However, uncertainties remain due to the rollback of EV sales mandates and reduced subsidies introduced during the Trump administration. In other Asian markets, excluding China, sales increased by 9.2% to 63,000 units.