The Tesla Model 3 has only been in Europe for a couple of years now, but it has been an instant hit. In 2021, it is expected to be the best-selling EV there, topping competitors like the Volkswagen ID.3 and the Renault Zoe, according to a new report. You can see why Tesla CEO Elon Musk is so anxious to get Tesla’s factory in Germany up and running.
That report, published in Automotive News, also says that, unsurprisingly, Tesla will be the best-selling EV brand, too, though Volkswagen will be the best-selling EV company, by virtue of selling EVs not just with the Volkswagen marque but also electric Audis, Cupras, Skodas, and Porsches, too.
The Tesla Model 3 is on course to be Europe’s best-selling full-electric vehicle in 2021 amid strong gains in overall sales of battery-electric vehicles.
Sales of the Model 3 jumped 84 percent to 113,397 through November, according to data from JATO Dynamics market researcher.
Volkswagen’s ID3 compact hatchback is likely to be at No. 2. ID3 sales rose 125 percent to 63,109 in the first 11 months.
The Renault Zoe, 2020's best-selling EV is on track to be No. 3. Through 11 months, Zoe sales were 60,551, down 27 percent.
The Model 3 last topped the European EV charts in 2019. In September, the compact sedan was the first full-electric car to become Europe’s best-selling car overall for the month, outperforming regular topsellers with internal combustion engines such as the VW Golf and Renault Clio.
Pour one out for the Renault Zoe, which has been killing it, sadly perhaps literally. The Auto News story also mentions that EVs will be 11 percent of the new market for cars in western Europe in 2021, which is both big and small, given how much further we need to go. Still, by the time any of us get back to Europe again, the car landscape will probably be all but unrecognizable.