The Ford Mustang Mach-E topped the sales charts in Norway. While the Mustang hasn’t dislodged Tesla in the USA, this is a feather in its cap.
Mustang Mach-E Tops EV Sales Charts: Almost One Out of Every 10 New EVs Sold is a Mustang
The Mustang Mach-E tops charts as Plug-in vehicles dominate sales.
Plug-in vehicles absolutely dominated the Norwegian market in May. 83.3% of all new cars sold in Norway in the month of May were Plug-in vehicles. While BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles had 8498 new registrations, PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) were at 3,221. In total 11,719 plug-in vehicles were sold in Norway in May. This meant that a record 83.3% of all vehicles sold were plug-ins. This is the highest that this figure has ever risen.
Mustang rides on top
The Ford Mustang Mach-E was the best-selling EV in Norway in May 2021. The EV pony sold 1,384 units in May. Although the Model 3 didn’t make the top 3, it came in 4th with 504 units. But the Skoda Enyaq iV and its cousin the VW ID.4 pipped the Model 3 in the list. While the Enyaq iV had 795 registrations, the ID.4 was a close third with 774. It isn’t surprising to see the European cousins do so well in Norway. There is a tendency in Europe to prefer the brands that are European rather than going for a Tesla. The Model 3 is the only Tesla in the list of top 10 best-selling EVs.
The full list is:
- Ford Mustang Mach-E – 1,384 units
- Skoda Enyaq iV – 795 units
- Volkswagen ID.4 – 774 units
- Tesla Model 3 – 504 units
- Mercedes-Benz EQC – 492 units
- Audi e-tron – 447 units
- Nissan LEAF – 285 units
- Polestar 2 – 280 units
- MG ZS EV – 195 units
- BMW i3 – 130 units
The European bias is clear here with only 3 cars being from non-European brands. While the lack of numbers of Tesla might surprise a few, Europeans haven’t taken very kindly to the QC issues that Teslas potentially have. Although there is sufficient technology in Teslas, Norway has shown a tendency to go for cars that are produced by manufacturers with experience in making automobiles. Hence the high sales figures of the Mustang, the Skoda, and the VW.
Europe and its tendency to go for settled brands
USA and Tesla
While Tesla is one of the fastest developing brands in the automotive industry, it is still quite new. The QC issues that surround Tesla are well known around the world. Despite these problems, the American market loves Tesla. The Model Y and Model 3 rule the roost in the US when it comes to EV sales. Not only are the Model Y and 3 the most popular, the Model S and Model X are in the top 5. Only the Chevrolet Beat comes in at 3rd to ruin the Tesla party. The American market loves the innovation and novel features offered by Tesla and seems to prefer that to solid build quality and the lack of QC issues. The American market is very range-centric as well, with longer-range cars having a higher number of sales in the USA.
Europe’s story
On the other hand, Europe is a largely different story. The Model 3 is the only car from Tesla that cracked the list of the top 10 best-selling EVs in 2020. The Renault Zoe, the Hyundai Kona, and the Volkswagen E-Golf making flutters. The Kia eNiro and the Peugeot e208 also put up respectable numbers. All these vehicles from well-settled manufacturers are fairly successful in Europe. The Model 3 still outsells most of them, but Tesla’s stronghold on the market is definitely reducing. The reducing numbers from Tesla, combined with the increasing numbers from other brands is hurting Tesla.
The biggest contributors to this change are the combined factors of the lack of ironing out of QC issues by Tesla and the increase in options from other manufacturers. Until 2019, there weren’t many options for a potential EV owner. However, with the advent of EVs from Porsche, Mercedes, Skoda, VW, Hyundai, Kia, etc, customers no longer need to contend with Tesla’s subpar build quality. The customers also have serious options from serious manufacturers which can be considered. The demand for EVs is rising but the number of new EVs being launched is increasing as well. The brand new Ioniq 5 is a step forward by Hyundai in this case. The anti-Tesla bias has come at the perfect time for certain manufacturers. The Mustang Mach-E took advantage of just this and has burst onto the scene.
How can Tesla arrest this slide?
Tesla is a self-proclaimed technology-biased company. Elon Musk has said previously that Tesla sells the technology in the car rather than the car itself. If Tesla wants to succeed in Europe, it will have to be done by changing this stand. The average build quality is excusable in America, but it is not acceptable in Europe. The new offerings from the heritage manufacturers have eaten into Tesla’s market share. Europe’s preference for these heritage manufacturers has also hurt Tesla. If Tesla does want to dominate the European market, it will have to step up its manufacturing game.
