Norway Full Year 2019: Tesla Model 3 storms into top spot in world-leading market for electrified vehicles (68.3%) and EVs (42.4%)

The Tesla Model 3 sells 15.683 units for a 11.1% share in Norway in 2019.

Discover close to 65 years of Norwegian Historical Data here.

In 2019 Norway remains by far the world leader in terms of market shares for both electrified vehicle sales and pure EV sales. Electrified sales step up 9.2% to 97.188 and 68.3% share, the highest in the world, vs. 60.2% in 2018, 52.2% in 2017, 40.2% in 2016 and just 7% in 2012. As a reminder Norway has vowed to bring sales of new fossil-fuelled vehicles to a stop by 2025, a target that remains achievable. EVs are the most popular fuel type for the 2nd straight year (the only country in the world where it is so), up 30.9% to 60.316 units and 42.4% share vs. 31.2% in 2019 and 20.9% in 2018. Propelled by the Tesla Model, in March the EV share climbed to 58.2%, the highest EV share ever reached in any worldwide market and the first time a country ever purchases more than 50% EVs in a single month. Strikingly, rechargeable hybrids sink -27.3% to 19.296 and 13.6% share vs. 17.9% last year due to the discontinuation of a raft of models due to the new WLTP norms while non-rechargeable hybrids bounce back up 7.5% to 17.547 and 12.3% share vs. 11% in 2018. 29 new hydrogen cars found a buyer in 2019 vs. 51 in 2018 (-47.2%). Diesel sales (-13.1%) are back above gasoline registrations (-31.4%) at 22.354 vs. 22.823 because most gasoline models now have an electrified alternative, which is not always the case for large, family-friendly diesels. Given the onslaught of new EV and electrified models due to arrive in market in 2020 and 2021, we expect Norway to continue drastically reducing its share of fossil-fuelled vehicles during this period.

The Audi e-Tron is up to a world-best 4th place in 2019…

The overall Norwegian market drops for the 2nd year in a row in 2019 at -3.8% to 142.381 units, however this is still a historically high volume as new car sales in the country have surpassed the 140.000 mark only 10 times during the past 60 years: in 1977, 1985, 1986 and every year since 2013, the all-time record remaining in 1986 with 167.352.  Volkswagen (-5.6%) remains the most popular brand in Norway by the skin of it teeth with a tiny 151-sale advantage over the success story of the year, Tesla (+118.2%) up 4 spots to #2 with 13.2% share. The EV marker reached extravagant share at each end-of-quarter month, coinciding with shipments from the US to ensure the quarterly reports are padded with sales: 31.7% in March, 24.5% in June, 24.8% in September and 12.4% in December but never above 10% in between. Toyota (+1.2%) drops to #3 but sees its share eclipse the 10% barrier at 10.5%. BMW (-16.2%) and Volvo (-11.6%) hold onto their 2018 rankings at #4 and #5 respectively, both overtaking Nissan (-46.7%) in dire straits. Hyundai (+50.7%) and Audi (+53.6%) each gain 5 spots on last year to break into the Top 10 at #7 and #8. Further down Seat (+175.5%), Jaguar (+139.9%), Mini (+13.9%) and DS (+13.2%) impress but Alfa Romeo (-57.6%), Subaru (-57.5%), Smart (-53.7%), Mercedes (-46.1%), Renault (-38.6%), Dacia (-37.6%), Peugeot (-26.7%), Ford (-25.6%), Mazda (-24.7%), Opel (-24.3%) and Porsche (-21.9%) implode.

…and the Jaguar i-Pace up to a world-record 11th spot.

2019 is the year of the Tesla Model 3 in Norway. In March the Model 3 broke the all-time Norwegian monthly volume record at 5.315 units, holding a mammoth 28.9% of the market that month. It also hit 19.6% in June, 21% in September and 11.1% in December. Keep in mind that similarly to all its other European market, these volumes are deliveries of orders spaced across a couple of years and not customers rushing into dealerships to purchase a Model 3 from scratch. As a result, the American EV sells a staggering 15.683 units in just 11 months, representing 1.1 in every 10 cars sold in the country this year but misses out on the all-time annual volume record set by the VW Beetle back in 1969 (16.699). The rest of the Tesla lineup is crushed: the Model X (-60.2%) is down from #4 last year to #19 and the Model S (-68.4%) falls from #8 to #29. The VW Golf (+1.7%) remains at #2 while last year’s leader the Nissan Leaf (-50.2%) implodes to #3. The Audi e-Tron only sold 7 units last year as it launched in December but soars to a world-best 4th place overall this year with 3.8% share, distancing the Mitsubishi Outlander (+16.8%) and Toyota RAV4 (+37.2%) both in outstanding shape. The Hyundai Kona (+247.1%) and Ioniq (+13%) both break into the Top 10 thanks to stunning gains but the Jaguar i-Pace (+184.9%) misses out by just 39 sales, albeit also setting a world record ranking at #11.

Previous month: Norway November 2019: Mazda (+58.9%) places CX-30 at world-best #14 in market down -18.5%

Previous year: Norway 2018: Green cars hit world-best 60.2% share, Nissan Leaf snaps first annual top spot, Renault Zoe in Top 10

Two years ago: Norway 2017: Green cars hold world-record 52.2% share, Tesla up to #7

Full Year 2019 Top 60 All-brands and Top 305 All-models vs. Full Year 2018 figures below.

Full December 2019 Top 40 All-brands and Top 195 All-models below.