2012 (Full Year) Germany: Best-Selling Hybrid Car Models

In 2012 Toyota dominated the German hybrid car market with the Yaris the most popular hybrid passenger vehicle in Germany. Top five from Toyota.

Toyota Yaris Hybrid at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show

The German hybrid car market in 2012 grew by 70% to over 21,000 new hybrid passenger vehicle registrations. Toyota dominated the German hybrid car market with a three-quarters market share. The top five best-selling models were from Toyota, with the Yaris now more popular than the Auris and Prius. Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus CT was the fourth most popular hybrid car and the new Prius Plus came in at fifth. German manufacturers have introduced hybrid cars but thus far with limited success.

The German Hybrid Car Market in 2012

In 2012, a total of 21,438 new hybrid vehicle registrations saw the market expand by 70% from the 12,622 hybrid cars registered in 2011. These sales figures include 408 plug-in hybrids.

Surprisingly, private buyers accounted for 46% of the hybrid car market in Germany in 2012. In contrast, private buyers make up 38% of the total new passenger vehicle market but only 11% of the electric car market. Businesses are slow to enter the hybrid car market – 7,732 hybrid cars were registered by the automobile industry itself as demonstration and research vehicles leaving only 3,899 vehicles for all other non-private use.

Best-Selling Hybrid Cars in Germany in 2012

In 2012, new passenger hybrid vehicle registrations in Germany according to car sales statistics released by the KBA were:

Hybrid Car Model20122011*
1Toyota Yaris5387
2Toyota Auris33474018
3Toyota Prius25822027
4Lexus CT14111525
5Toyota Prius Plus1150
6Opel Ampera824241
7Lexus RX750706
8Mercedes E-Class682
9Peugeot 3008668
10Honda Jazz591928
11Peugeot 508503
12Citroen DS5446
13Honda CR-Z390770
14Lexus GS292
15Audi Q5283451
16Honda Insinght256199
17Audi A6235
18Porsche Panamera131202
19BMW 5 Series129
20Audi A8116
21Porsche Cayenne113
22BMW 3 Series111
23VW Touareg105
24VW Golf, Jetta50
25BMW 7 Series49
26Infiniti M45
27GM Cadillac Escalade29
28GM Chevrolet Volt24
29Mercedes S-Class24
30Kia Optima20
31Lexus LS9
32Volvo S608
Others684   
 Total Hybrid Cars21 43812 622
Source: KBA / *2011 figures include top ten only

Top-Selling Hybrid Car Models in Germany in 2012

In 2012, Toyota totally dominated the German market for hybrid cars. The top five best-selling hybrid cars in Germany were Toyota with Toyota (including Lexus) accounting for nearly three-quarters of all hybrid cars sold in Germany in 2012.

The new Toyota Yaris became Germany’s favorite hybrid car model. The hybrid Yaris was new to the German car market in 2012. It easily outsold the Toyota Auris, which was the most popular hybrid in Germany in 2011.

Auris sales slipped due to the arrival of the cheaper Yaris but Prius sales further increased with the new larger Prius Plus entering the market at fifth place. The fourth placed Lexus CT and Lexus RX easily outsold any other luxury hybrid models.

German manufacturers have finally started to offer hybrid cars to the German public but sales remain very low. The best-selling German branded hybrids were the Opel Ampera at sixth place and the Mercedes E-Class at eighth. Honda, which has three cars in the top-ten list in 2011, saw sales of its hybrid cars slipping in a growing market.

The 2012 German electric car market saw growth of 37% but sales remained rather insignificant at only 2,956 cars.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.