Germany Full Year 2024: VW Golf rallies back up 23.5%, Tiguan signs first monthly win

The VW Golf nameplate has been #1 in Germany for 49 of the past 50 years.

Discover almost 95 years worth of German Historical data here.

It’s a weak year for the German new car market with sales off -1% year-on-year to 2,817,331. This remains well below the 2,917,678 units of pandemic-plagued 2020. Fleet sales account for 67.5% of the total volume at 1,901,698 (-0.4%) vs. 67.1% in 2023 while private sales are at 32.5% vs. 32.9% and 915,633 units (-2.1%). The main event in Germany this year is the freefall of BEV sales off -27.4% to 380,609 and 13.5% share vs. 18.4% a year ago, as subsidies have dried out.

Volkswagen (+3.4%) posts a solid result and improves its market share by almost one percentage point to 19.1%. In contrast Mercedes (-7%) drops to 9.2% but stays in 2nd place. BMW (-0.1%) is stable and gains one spot on last year to #3. Skoda surges 22% to #4 and 7.3% share, both records. The Czech brand hit an all-time high 8.2% share in September, its first podium in January and a record #2 in June. Audi (-18.1%) has a horrendous year and falls two ranks to #5. Toyota (+27%) and Seat (+22%) also shine in the remainder of the Top 10 to reach #9 and #7 respectively. Chinese carmakers are in trouble: apart from MG down just -1.2%, GWM (-35.6%), BYD (-30.2%), NIO (-68.5%), Lynk & Co (-97%) and Aiways (-46%) all crater. Xpeng lands at #50 and Leapmotor at #55.

The VW Tiguan ranked #1 for the first time in September.

Over in the models charts, the VW Golf (+23.5%) rallies back up to 3.6% share vs. a lowest ever 2.9% last year. It is back above the 100,000 annual sales mark (just) for the first time since 2020. The Golf has now held the German pole position for the 44th consecutive year, and for 49 of the past 50 years (every year since 1975 apart from 1980 won by the Mercedes W123) to be compared with “only” 29 wins for the VW Beetle (from 1946 to 1973). The Golf ranked #1 eight months in 2024 vs. seven in 2023, peaking at 4.8% share in April but falling to #4 in August and 2.1% in July. The podium is unchanged on last year, with the VW T-Roc (+9.8%) at #2 and #1 in June, July and August, and the VW Tiguan (+4.8%) signing its first ever monthly win in September.

The Skoda Octavia (+21.5%) surges six spots on 2023 to a best-ever #4, eclipsing its previous record of #5 established in 2020. The VW Passat (+0.5%) is stable and remains at #5 while the Opel Astra sports a phenomenal year, up 23 ranks to #6. It even outsold the VW Golf in August for the first time in 32 years. It’s the Astra nameplate’s best annual ranking since hitting #5 in 2016. The BMW X1 (-0.2%) is up three spots to #8 – its first annual Top 10, the Seat Leon (+37.2%) up 16 to #9 and the VW Polo (+6.8%) up six to #10. Notice also the Skoda Karoq (+50.6%) surges up 28 ranks to #16 and signed its first ever motnthly Top 10 finish in July.

Previous year: Germany 2023: VW Golf resists T-Roc assault

2 years ago: Germany 2022: Last minute surge tilts market into positive (+1.1%), VW Golf challenged again

Full December and Year 2024 Top 63 All brands and Top 401 All models vs. Full Year 2023 data below.