- Tesla sold 25,938 Model Ys in Europe, topping charts despite an 8.6% drop.
- Chinese car brands grew to 7.4% market share, up from 3.3% a year earlier.
- MG led Chinese automakers with 33,536 sales, up 77% year-over-year.
The fortunes of Tesla in Europe continue to swing, yet to the surprise of many industry watchers, the Model Y reclaimed the top spot as the continent’s best-selling new car in September. Its comeback arrives just as several Chinese automakers are seeing their own sales momentum build across European markets.
Last month, a total of 25,938 Model Ys found new homes in Europe. Although this is down 8.6 percent from September 2024, it was a dramatic improvement from August, when the electric SUV was placed 17th in the region’s best-selling list, and in July, when it slipped all the way down to 60th.
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Trailing the Model Y in September was the Renault Clio with total sales of 20,146. This positioned it ahead of the Dacia Sandero with 19,200 sales and the VW T-Roc with 18,652.
Importantly, while the Model Y rebounded strongly in September, it is only the 17th-best-selling new car in Europe year-to-date, with sales of 109,793. By comparison, a total of 185,947 Dacia Sanderos found new owners through the first nine months of the year.
EUROPE’S TOP SELLERS SEPTEMBER
Dataforce / Autonews
Chinese Brands Are Moving Up
As seen in other markets, Tesla’s competition no longer comes solely from legacy carmakers. Chinese manufacturers are gaining a noticeable foothold in Europe with record numbers.
Overall sales data reveal that cars from Chinese brands accounted for a record 7.4 percent of all new cars sold in Europe last month, an increase from the previous high of 5.5 percent recorded in June.
This time last year, Chinese brands had just a 3.3 percent market share, meaning it has more than doubled in twelve months.
Auto News reports that a total of 90,571 cars from China were sold in September, a rise of 149 percent. MG remains the most popular brand, reporting a growth of 77 percent with 33,536 sales in September alone. This year, MG has shifted 225,334 vehicles in the Old Continent, and the MG ZS led the charge with 94,925 sales.
Positioned behind MG in the sales race is BYD. In September, it sold 24,336 vehicles, a massive jump from the 4,561 sold in September last year. Year-to-date, it has delivered 19,805 vehicles in Europe. Of these, 55,411 have been the plug-in hybrid Seal U, also sold as the Sealion 6 in some other markets.
Chery came in third among the brands from the People’s Republic with 18,454 sales in September and 73,128 so far this year, operating its own namesake brand as well as Jaecoo and Omodo.