Germany in the electric car deficit: China drives away-what now?

Germany in the electric car deficit: China drives away-what now?

A current study by BearingPoint shows that Germany lags behind in electromobility. In China, over two thirds of the respondents have already driven an electric car, while only 26 percent of this experience in Germany. This raises questions about the future of the German automotive industry, which is under pressure in view of these numbers.

The intentions of the purchase are alarming: 73 percent of the Chinese plan to buy an electric car next, while only 21 percent in Germany have this plan. With an e-car content for new registrations of 7.6 percent in 2024, the United States shows more dynamics than Germany, the proportion of which is still declining. Price, range and the available charging infrastructure play decisive roles when making a purchase decision for electric vehicles.

market shares and trends

In the first quarter of 2024, a total of 1.75 million fully electric vehicles (BEVS) and around 1.1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVS) were newly approved in China, Europe and the USA. China took the lead with 1 million BEVS and 740,000 PHEVs, while Germany had to hand over its top position as a European electrical lead market to the United Kingdom with only 81,000 BEVS (-14 %), which recorded 84,000 BEVS (+11 %). France also cut off better, with an increase of 24 percent to almost 80,000 BEVS.

Despite a slight decline from 9 percent to 387,000 units, Tesla remains the largest manufacturer of fully electric vehicles. In Germany, the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) predicts around 470,000 electric vehicles for the year 2024, which corresponds to a decrease of 10 percent. Around 6 million BEVS are expected to be approved alone in China.

global challenges and opportunities

The study underlines the high level of fidelity in different countries. In China, almost 80 percent of car buyers prefer a domestic model, while in Germany there are 66 percent national brands such as Volkswagen and Co. In the United States, however, Tesla leads with a market share of 44 percent.

Research also shows that innovations in technology and a better charging infrastructure are crucial for the success of electromobility. Manuel Schuler from BearingPoint is optimistic about the international enforcement of electromobility, even if there are challenges. China has impressively demonstrated that consistent support can significantly increase market penetration.

In order not to fall back in an international comparison, Germany has to decide whether it relies on incentives and investments in order to advance the turn of the electromobility. The next few years will be crucial to promote innovations and enable the transition to more sustainable mobility.

The complete analysis of the development of the global market for electromobility can be found in the reports on Econews , Auto Institut and ecomento .