VW, Audi and Mercedes EV sales go up at expense of ICE models

Three major German manufactures posted their consolidated reports for the entire 2022 and they all tell a similar story. VW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz saw a sharp increase in the number of EVs sold, while their ICE vehicle sales slumped.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen had a solid showing in 2022, delivering 330,000 all-electric cars globally, a 23.6% increase from the previous year. However, due to supply constraints, overall deliveries of all drive types dropped 6.8% to 4.56 million. Despite this, orders for Volkswagen vehicles remain substantial, with 640,000 Europeans placing orders for the brand (+18%).

Volkswagen has plans to launch 10 new electric cars by 2026 under their ACCELERATE plan, making it a leader in the EV market with a wide range of options available, from entry-level e-cars to the flagship ID.7.

Volkswagen's all-electric ID. vehicles were a highlight in 2022, with the ID.4 model leading the way, selling 170,000 units worldwide. The ID.3, ID.4, and ID.6 models also saw strong sales with China, North America, and Sweden highlighted as key growth markets. Overall, the company has sold approximately 580,000 ID. vehicles globally since September 2020.

In addition to EVs, SUVs continue to be a strong point for Volkswagen, with the brand adjusting its portfolio to meet the growing demand for SUVs. Deliveries of SUVs increased by 4% to 45%, with over 80% of Volkswagen's sales in the US being SUVs. The T-Roc model in particular saw strong sales in Europe.

However, Volkswagen anticipates some challenges in 2023 due to ongoing semiconductor supply problems. Despite this, the company is working to minimize delivery times and clear the substantial order backlog as soon as possible.

Audi

Audi managed to increase its all-electric vehicle deliveries by 44% in 2022. The company sold over 1.61 million cars last year and at least in Europe outperformed 2021.

In total Audi sold 118,196 electric cars and is enjoying an increasing demand for the Q4 e-tron, e-tron GT quattro, and e-tron. The Audi Q8 e-tron, its latest EV is coming in spring 2023. By 2026, Audi will stop announcing new ICE cars and will gradually phase them out from its lineup.

Along with the all-electric vehicles, the Audi A3, A4 and Q5 also saw strong growth. The company reported a record delivery of 45,515 high-performance automobiles by Audi Sport, a 15.6% increase from the previous year.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz delivered 2,043,900 passenger cars in 2022, 1% down from its 2021 achievement. However once more the breakdown reveals that it was EVs picking up share from ICEs.

The company saw strong growth in electric vehicle sales, with deliveries of xEV models (plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, including the smart brand) reaching 319,200 units in 2022, an increase of 19%. This represents 15% of the company's overall sales. Deliveries of fully electric vehicles more than doubled (124% growth), reaching 117,800 units.

As part of its efforts to go all-electric by the end of the decade, Mercedes-Benz also announced plans for its own high-power charging network of more than 10,000 chargers worldwide.

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