Gasgoo Munich- According to Gasgoo Data, new passenger car registrations in Germany reached 256,774 in September, up 9.0% from a year earlier and 20.8% from August. Chinese brands registered 16,165 units, lifting their market share to 6.3%.
Tesla Model Y topped all models with 8,038 registrations, up 260.9% year on year. BYD led Chinese brands with 6,040 registrations — ranking 16th overall and surging 85.6% year on year. BEV and PHEV penetration reached 45.3%, with BEV share up 2.1 percentage points month on month to 34.5%, while PHEV share slipped to 10.8%.
Brand Landscape
Volkswagen (42,461), Mercedes-Benz (21,595), Škoda (19,898), BMW (18,924) and Audi (16,361) ranked among the top five.
Tesla moved up to 7th with 12,552 registrations, while BYD ranked 16th overall.
European brands such as Opel and Renault face mounting pressure from both Chinese brands and Tesla.
Electrification
BEV and PHEV penetration reached 45.3% (BEV 34.5%, PHEV 10.8%), with BEVs emerging as the core growth driver and PHEV share down 1.2 percentage points month on month.
Tesla Model Y led the BEV segment, followed by Tesla Model 3 (4,512 registrations) and Škoda Elroq (4,182 registrations).
Chinese Automaker Dynamics
BYD: Led Chinese brands with 6,040 registrations (16th overall) and ranked among the top players in the PHEV segment; its BEV sales lag Tesla and European brands amid tariff headwinds.
MG: Held the No. 2 position among Chinese brands, leveraging its long-established European presence while gradually transitioning toward electrification.
XPENG: Registrations surged more than 400% year over year, with its premium BEV models winning favor among tech enthusiasts.
Leapmotor: B03X posted 155 registrations in its first month, rounding out the brand's lineup in Germany.
Geely: EX2 (E2) officially launched in September and recorded 146 registrations this month.
ORA: ORA 05 registered 13 petrol and 46 hybrid units, respectively, while the BEV version made its first registrations this month.
Outlook
The month on month rise in BEV share (34.5%) alongside the decline in PHEV share (10.8%) confirms that electrification is tilting toward BEV models, although tariff barriers continue to curb the competitiveness of Chinese BEVs.
With Chinese brands holding a 6.3% share and BYD surging 85.6% while leading the PHEV segment, the formula of "PHEV breakthrough plus localized channels" remains the key to breaking through in Germany's home market.
Caught between restricted BEV access and receding PHEV momentum, Chinese automakers need to combine a PHEV base, BEV trials and new model ramp-ups to find new growth engines and keep penetrating from the fringes toward the mainstream.
