VW has overtaken Tesla as Europe's top EV seller
www.businessinsider.com
Volkswagen EV registrations rose more than 150% year-over-year while Tesla saw the biggest decline among the top 30 brands.

Summary

  • Volkswagen beat Tesla in European EV sales across the first three months of 2025, data shows.
  • Registrations for VW EVs are up more than 150%, while Tesla lost huge ground.
  • However, the Model Y and Model 3 remain Europe’s top two most-registered EVs.
      • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.netEnglish
        12·
        1 day ago

        I’ve seen some videos on them. They look pretty nice but I worry about how they hold up and the build quality, as I would any relatively unestablished brand.

      • weew@lemmy.caEnglish
        65·
        1 day ago

        Because they present amazing value (at Chinese prices) and really advanced battery technology.

        • Kecessa@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          235·
          1 day ago

          If you don’t consider the impact that sending yet more manufacturing jobs to China will have in the long run and the fact that they have great value because what China is doing is called dumping and the goal is for them to have a monopoly so they can eventually increase prices without having any competitors.

          • suigenerix@lemmy.worldEnglish
            11·
            21 hours ago

            Yes, China dumps EVs on other markets.

            But here are some extra insights to consider about the issue:

            • To curb dumping, many countries already have, or are introducing, high tariffs against Chinese EVs. Biden had a 100% tariff on EVs, Canada is 100%, India is 70-100%, the EU is up to 45%, Brazil is ramping up to 35%, etc.
            • Around 90% of all EVs China produces are sold in China. So even if EV dumping ends, it’ll have only a minor effect on production
            • Dumping is caused by over supply of Chinese EVs at the moment. Some countries, like the US under Trump policies, are deliberately attempting to drive down EV demand, further adding to the issue. And as with all markets, over supply can’t be sustained indefinitely, so it’s predicted that multiple Chinese EV manufacturers will go under or merge. This is normal in evolving markets
            • China is innovating much faster with EV tech, especially with battery technology. Meanwhile the US under Trump is removing incentives for EV production and ownership, and causing significant market uncertainty. This will have a far greater effect on Chinese dominance of the technology than dumping
            • China is in the majority of countries in offering government subsidies and tax breaks for emerging products, especially on things like R&D and infrastructure
            • The US and other countries also dump products on a significantly larger scale. For example, the US government subsidizes corn which is sold to world markets under production cost. Exports of corn from the US in 2024 were ~$14 billion, while Chinese EV exports were under $5 billion

            None of this is intended to condone China or any country dumping products, but as a warning about having overly simplified reactions to an issue without understanding the bigger picture.

            • Kecessa@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              7·
              22 hours ago

              “They’re much cheaper than comparable cars!”

              People never think about where the savings come from, as long as they can buy stuff.

              Seeing people who call themselves left wing defending globalism will always be funny to people like me who are left wing and were protesting against it back in the day.

              • Don_alForno@feddit.orgEnglish
                3·
                22 hours ago

                On the other hand, the right in America is in the process of destroying globalism and is rightly mocked for it because they themselves are suffering the worst.

                • Kecessa@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                  3·
                  21 hours ago

                  The issue is the way they’re trying to put an end to it. A plan like the government giving priority to local manufacturers and forcing international bidders to build factories in the country is one thing. Imposing tariffs without any plans to compensate locally is just plain dumb.

                  • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
                    2·
                    20 hours ago

                    And yet they’re not just going about it the most boneheaded way they can think of, but have been actively killing off Biden era incentives to do what they claim they want.

                    If they actually cared about manufacturing locally, they would support those incentives, and support the infrastructure bill

      • Blablablabum@lemmy.zipEnglish
        45·
        1 day ago

        Well, they do make pretty nice cars… I have a dolphin, and it is great value for the money :)

      • frankgrimeszz@lemmy.worldEnglish
        111·
        23 hours ago

        I only brought them up because I saw a news report that their dealerships are popping up and their starting price is much lower than Tesla. Like €17000.

    • ramble81@lemm.eeEnglish
      10·
      1 day ago

      Right now they’re more expensive in Europe due to tariffs (not the Trump ones), however there were some talks about the EU reducing or removing the tariff on them in which case I can see demand exploding because of their price.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.worldEnglish
        91·
        1 day ago

        AFAIK the Tariff in EU on BYD BEV is 13% (The tariffs vary based on how much state funding the brand has received), but if they have hybrids, they can sell them without tariff. The tariffs are only on BEV.

        I dont think their sales would explode if the tariffs were removed. Many people are still cautious about Chinese cars, and some simply don’t want a car made in China.