The vehicle fleet is changing – and it's happening fast. Several cars that we thought sold well are almost out of the market.
When Terje's cars drive new cars, they are often vehicles provided by car rental and car sharing companies. Even though the cars are new, they are often not particularly sought after on the market, rather shelf warmers. A while ago, Hyre placed several new Mondeos in Oslo. Great station wagons that people love to use on long trips on the weekends. Still, it made me think…
Is there something wrong with the Mondeo?
The most popular Mondeo is the station wagon with a 2-liter iVCT non-rechargeable hybrid with a total of 187 HP. But its popularity is not what it once was. In the first half of this year, only 47 new cars were registered. The number is unlikely to exceed 100 during the current year. In comparison, the Porsche Taycan has sold 973 cars so far this year. The only "wrong" thing about the Mondeo is that the hybrid cars cannot tow a trailer over 750 kg. The competitor Volkswagen Passat is both rechargeable and can tow a heavy trailer. It sold well at the beginning of the year, but now sales have almost stagnated. The Skoda Octavia is experiencing the same thing. It is still in the top 20 list, but sales in October were only 27 cars. And the Avensis? It has long been discontinued. It is not just the Mondeo – it is the type of car that must now give way to other models.
Tax-favored hybrids favor more expensive brands
When new hybrid models are driven through NEDC and WLTP with full batteries, consumption and emissions are kept down. It cuts the one-off fees and helps to even out the price differences between everyday car brands and premium brands. This makes BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo available to more car buyers. Preferably also larger family cars. The BMW X5 and Volvo XC90 are selling well. Even the monster SUV Ford Explorer Hybrid is moving up the sales charts. The tax system seems to favor large, heavy and expensive cars.
Electric cars are taking over
Many people like the Mondeo for its good space, long-distance capabilities and the ability to tow a heavy trailer. These are characteristics electric cars have lacked until relatively recently. Therefore, it is not unexpected that the Audi e-Tron, Mercedes-Benz EQC and Tesla Model X are now at the top of the sales list. The Norwegian tax system means that there is not a very big difference between the Ford Mondeo and the Audi e-Tron. By driving an electric car for more than 3 years, you can easily save more than NOK 100 in tolls and fuel. Many take this into their budget. By comparison, German prices for the Audi e-tron are more than double the Mondeo.
New wife cars
When the Mondeo, Passat and Avensis ravaged the sales charts, models such as the Fiesta, Polo and Yaris operated at the small car top. Typical "wife cars", such as the Skoda Fabia, Ford Fiesta, Audi A1 and Volkswagen Polo, are in free fall. The Toyota Yaris is still around because of its hybrid technology. The small car Volkswagen e-Up! has several years behind it, but still sells well. It has now been joined by its battery-powered sister models such as the Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii. These are the new "wife cars".
The Chinese revolution has not yet begun
Almost all the batteries in today's electric cars come from China or South Korea. The big seller Nissan Leaf, for example, has Chinese battery cells. In Oslo, the cityscape is characterized by electric buses with drives from the major Chinese manufacturer Byd, and a large part of the distribution of goods is done with Maxus vans. The Polestar 2 is manufactured in Chengdu, China. It is produced by Geely, but the Chinese name is kept hidden from Western customers. The Volvo XC40 gets its batteries from China. It is not inconceivable that the entire car will eventually be built in China. The China car MG ZS EV, sold through Birger N Haug, has shot up the sales lists. But the news Xpeng, Byd Tang and Maxus Euniq have not yet left any mark on the Norwegian traffic picture. These models represent the Chinese revolution. It is uncertain when the revolution will come, - but it will come.
Not all electric cars are big sellers?
Cars from the major electric car manufacturers are big sellers. This applies to Tesla Inc., Hyundai Corporation, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, the VAG group, Daimler AG and PSA. Geely is a newcomer here, but the beautiful Polestar 2 has become a bestseller after just one month. The only electric cars that have not made a mark on the sales lists are the outsiders Mazda MX-30 and Honda e.
Taycan and Mondeo – both are mispriced
The purpose of the tax policy is to get fossil car owners to choose emission-free vehicles. In Germany, the Volkswagen ID.3 and Ford Mondeo cost the same. In Norway, you can instead opt out of the Mondeo in favor of the Ford Mustang Mach-e electric car. In Germany, the electric cars ID.3 and Mach-e cost basically the same as in Norway. It is the fossil car Mondeo which is "wrongly priced" here. You could probably say that too Taycan is. A politically incorrect gift package from the politicians.
Run and buy! 🙂
Facts - registered cars 2020
The number of registered cars is taken from the websites below. This is not a complete overview of registered cars, but car models that sell far worse than (at least the undersigned) expected. The composition of the vehicle fleet is undoubtedly changing.
Elbilstatistikk.no
Registration number
Registration statistics from OFV
At the bottom – new car registrations
Electric cars
01.01.2020 - 02.11.2020
Sales of the brand new models have not really started. The egg-shaped trio Citroen C-Zero, Peugot iOn and Mitsubishi i-Miev are almost out of the market.
Number-Model
0 – BID Tang
0 – Ford Mustang Mach-E
0 – Skoda Enyac
0 – Volvo XC40 P8
0 – XPeng G3
11 – Lexus UX 300e
13 – Citroen C-Zero
15 – Peugeot iOn
20 – Mitsubishi i-Miev
95 – Honda e
161 – Fiat 500e
352 – Opel e-Corsa
425 – Mazda MX-30
...
973 (02.11.2020) – Porsche Taycan.
The mini class
01.07.2020
Number-Model
0 – Peugeot 107
1 – Citroen C1
20 – KIA Picanto
36 – Toyota Aygo
SubCompact
First half of 2020
Note that former best sellers such as Skoda Fabia and Nissan Micra are almost out of the market.
Number-Model
11 – Skoda Fabia
12 – Mazda 2
17 – Nissan Micra
19 – Renault Clio
39 – Audi A1
41 – Honda Jazz
63 – Hyundai i20
127 – Citroen C3
131 – Ford Fiesta
324 – Skoda Swift
336 – VW Polo
Compact
First half of 2020
The Audi A3 had a halt in production of its popular plug-in hybrid. After the first half of the year, production has started in the new model. Here the sales figures may have skyrocketed. The Skoda Octavia featured in the top 1 list early in the year - so it is not on our list, but in the 20nd half sales figures have plummeted.
Number-Model
0 – Hyundai i30
7 – Renault Mégane
23 - Honda Civic
43 – Opel Astra
49 – Peugeot 308
61 – KIA Ceed
68 – Citroen C4 Cactus
70 – VW Touran
77 – Mazda 3
96 – Audi A3 (all)
Family cars
First half of 2020
The Audi A4 has come in a new version with a mild hybrid after the first half of the year, which could lead to more sales over the autumn. The Volkswagen Passat GTE plug-in hybrid was on the top 1 list in the first half of the year, but currently sells little. The Audi A20 (1-door and coupé) is no longer as cool as it was 5 years ago. The Ford S-Max suffers the same fate as the Mondeo. The Audi A5 is only sold as a TDI to those who are particularly interested.
Number-Model
7 – Audi A5
11 – Mazda 6
27 – Ford S-Max
43 – Opel Insignia
47 – Ford Mondeo
71 – Audi A6 (all/allroad)
77 – Audi A4 (all/allroad)
131 – Peugeot 508
SUV/Crossover Compact
First half of 2020
Number-Model
The Audi Q2 and Q3 are by no means popular anymore. Citroen C3 Aircross and Opel Crossland X share the same technology. Practical cars that probably sell better further south in Europe. The same can be said about the new Renault Captur. Also note that mini SUVs generally don't seem to sell very well.
14 – Range Rover Evoque
22 – KIA Xceed
42 – KIA Stonic
59 – Audi Q3 (w/ RS Q3)
59 – Citroen C3 Aircross
59 – Renault Captur
66 – Audi Q2
76 – Opel Crossland X
91 – Skoda Kamiq
134 – Skoda Karoq
137 – Subaru XV
187 – Ford Puma
211 – VW T-Cross
232 – Suzuki SX4 S-Cross
269 – Nissan Qashqai
SUV/Crossover Family cars
First half of 2020
The Toyota RAV4 sells very well, especially as a plug-in hybrid. It is not going as well with some of the competitors.
Number-Model
3 – Land Rover Discovery Sport
9 – Range Rover Velar
20 – Renault Kadjar
58 – Hyundai Tucson
70 – Honda CRV
112 – Lexus NX 300h
122 – Audi Q5
199 – Citroen C5 Aircross
212 – Subaru Forester
224 – Mazda CX-3
227 – Suzuki Vitara
237 – Opel Grandland
300 – Peugeot 5008
463 – Ford Kuga
SUV/Crossover Large
First half of 2020
Some monster SUVs are no longer in the shot.
Number-Model
26 – Audi Q8
36 – Audi Q7
99 – Land Rover Discovery
103 – Range Rover
Hydrogen
First half of 2020
Number-Model
0 – Hyundai Nexo
15 – Toyota Mirai
See
