2019 (Q3) Germany: Best-Selling Car Brands and Models

January to September 2019: Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Audi were the top-selling carmakers in Germany. The German new car market expanded by 2.5%.

New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany increased by 2.5% during the first three quarters of 2019. Volkswagen remained by far Germany’s largest carmaker during the first nine months of 2019 but lost market share with weaker sales. Mercedes-Benz increased sales while Audi was again the third best-selling car brand in Germany despite weaker sales. Ford moved ahead of BMW in Germany in the third quarter of 2019. The VW Golf remained Germany’s favorite car model.

The German New Car Market in 2019 (Q3)

The German new car market grew by 2.5% during the first nine months of 2019. New passenger vehicle (PKW) registrations in Germany increased to 2,740,000 cars – 67,000 more cars than were sold in Germany during the same period in 2018.

The total German motorized vehicle market (Fahrzeuge) expanded by an even stronger 3.6% during the first nine months of 2019. Heavy commercial vehicles (LKW) sales increased by a strong 11.3%.

Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Germany in 2019 (Q3)

The following were the top-selling car marques in Germany according to new passenger vehicle registration figures released by the KBA:

BrandQ3/2019Q3/2018% Change 18/19
Total Market2,740,1582,673,4182.5
1VW498,481511,927-2.6
2Mercedes248,093234,1346
3Audi214,039217,709-1.7
4Ford211,324189,32611.6
5BMW202,506192,1955.4
6Opel175,227173,8760.8
7Skoda161,385153,0225.5
8Seat109,16096,53313.1
9Renault99,347105,235-5.6
10Hyundai98,06587,51112.1
11Fiat71,81266,4378.1
12Toyota65,27465,512-0.4
13Dacia63,65958,7598.3
14Peugeot54,62853,0732.9
15Kia53,08151,0364
16Mazda51,71051,3300.7
17Citroen47,70544,4647.3
18Mitsubishi40,39939,4522.4
19Volvo38,35530,56625.5
20Mini36,31336,638-0.9
21Smart34,90630,48514.5
22Nissan28,90842,519-32
23Suzuki28,41628,1311
24Porsche23,08525,556-9.7
25Land Rover13,51614,322-5.6
26Jeep12,66413,107-3.4
27Honda11,67215,091-22.7
28Tesla9,0081,616457.4
29Jaguar6,8407,877-13.2
30Subaru4,4445,846-24
31Alfa Romeo2,9824,625-35.5
32Lexus2,7192,05732.2
33DS2,1233,151-32.6
34Ssangyong1,9362,006-3.5
Source: KBA

Top-Selling Car Brands in Germany in 2019 (Q3)

The order of the top three best-selling car brands in Germany remained unchanged during the first three quarters of 2019: Volkswagen comfortably ahead of Mercedes-Benz and Audi. VW sales were down by 2.6% or around 13,500 cars meaning a market share loss of nearly one percent. However, 18.2% of all new cars sold in Germany during the first nine months of the year were Volkswagens.

Although Mercedes-Benz sales increased by similar numbers as Volkswagen decreases, Mercedes still sold only half as many cars in Germany as the market leader. Audi also lost market share with weaker sales but just maintained its third position.

Ford was the big winner thus far in 2019 in Germany. Ford sales increased by 11.6% or around 22,000 cars to gain fourth place from BMW that also had stronger sales. Opel sales were flat but positive to retain six place.

Skoda was again the best-selling foreign brand in Germany with sales up by 5.5%. Seat was the most-improved top-ten brand with sales up by 13% to gain eighth place at the expense of Renault. Renault sales were 5.6% weaker but it remained the top-selling foreign brand without a strong German ownership of manufacturing connection. Hyundai was just over a thousand united to maintain tenth place.

Most of the carmakers from 11th to 20th increased sales in Germany during the first three quarters of 2019. Volvo was the top performer with sales up by quarter to enter the top 20 from 21st a year ago. Nissan slipped from 18th to 22nd with sales down by a third.

Tesla was the most-improved brand in Germany during the first nine months of 2019 with sales up by 457%. In contrast, Alfa Romeo, DS and Nissan were the worst performing brand in Germany with sales down by a third.

The Volkswagen Golf remained easily the top-selling car model in Germany despite a major model change due by the end of 2019.

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.