Volkswagen is lagging further and further behind Tesla in the race for the growing electric car market, writes CNN.
The largest European manufacturer reported 452.9 thousand delivered electric cars in 2021 – almost double compared to 2020. Even this, however, is not enough to keep pace with Tesla, which sold 936 thousand cars in 2021.
In total, Tesla increased its deliveries by 436.6 thousand last year, while the increase in the Volkswagen Group, which also owns Audi, Porsche, Skoda and others, is 220.9 thousand.
The German giant has promised more than $ 100 billion over the next five years to electrify its model range. VW already leads in sales of electric cars in Europe, where it expects a quarter of cars sold in 2026 to be electric. The company also released new models, including an electric hatchback and SUV, but progress has been slow due to supply chain problems.
Tesla predicts that the new plants in Texas and Germany will record annual sales growth of at least 50 percent over the next few years.
Otherwise, the Volkswagen Group has reported the lowest total sales in 10 years – 8.9 million cars with internal combustion engines and / or electrified. The Volkswagen brand fell 8.1 percent to less than 4.9 million vehicles delivered. It is largest in China, where the company sold 14.8 percent fewer cars.
Electric models accounted for 5.1 percent of the group’s sales last year.
The crown is in Toyota again
Japanese giant Toyota has not yet reported sales for the last month of 2021, but it is now clear that it is taking the crown for the second year in a row. Between January and November 2021 alone, the manufacturer sold 9.56 million, which exceeds the sales reported by the Volkswagen Group.
The Japanese brand is gaining more and more supporters on the Old Continent, where it realized 1.03 million sales in 2021 and increased its market share to a record 6.4 percent.
Corolla, Yaris and RAV4 account for 55 percent of total sales in Europe. More than half of the cars sold on the Old Continent were hybrids.
Toyota also managed to gain market share in the United States, where it managed to dethrone GM, which it has led annually since 1931.
