After its electric car sales surged in the first three months of 2025, Volkswagen’s CEO said the company is “shifting into the fast lane.” In Europe, Volkswagen expanded its lead after EV sales doubled. Despite the success, the auto giant is still struggling in one key market.
Volkswagen EV sales double in Europe in the first quarter
Volkswagen delivered 216,800 all-electric vehicles globally in the first quarter, up 59% from 136,400 last year. The growth bumped up Volkswagen’s global EV market share from 6% to 10%.
Strong growth in Europe and the US helped offset fewer deliveries in China. In Europe, Volkswagen delivered over 150,000 EVs through the first three months of 2025, more than double (+113%) the number it handed over in the year prior.
Volkswagen is the “clear BEV market leader in Europe” with around 26% of the market. In comparison, Tesla’s sales were down in every European market in Q1, except the UK.
In Germany alone, almost every second EV came from a VW Group brand. With new models like the ID.7 Tourer and Audi Q6 e-tron, Volkswagen’s orders in Western Europe are back up around one million (980,000).
Volkswagen’s top five best-selling EVs globally were the ID.4 and ID.5 (43,700), ID.3 (28,100), Audi A4 e-tron (22,800), Škoda Enyaq (20,200), and ID.7 (19,100).
Global BEV deliveries rise but slip in China
In the US, VW Group EV sales were up 51%. The VW ID.4 was one of the top-selling EVs in the first quarter, with 7,663 units sold. Its electric minibus, the ID.Buzz is now rolling out, with 1,901 units sold in Q1.
Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said, “Now we’re shifting into the fast lane” with new models arriving. The company expects “additional tailwinds” from new model launches in 2025.
Despite growth in Europe and the US, Volkswagen is still struggling to keep pace with BYD and others in China. Volkswagen blamed an “intense competitive situation in China” after EV deliveries fell 37% to 25,900, down from 41,000 last year.
After surpassing VW as the top-selling car brand in China last year, BYD’s impressive sales run is heating up in 2025.
BYD sold 166,109 electric cars last month alone. Through the first three months of 2025, the Chinese EV giant has sold 416,388 all-electric vehicles.
After cutting prices this month on some of its top-selling models, BYD’s cheapest EV, the Seagull, now starts at under $8,000 (56,800 yuan).
With ambitious plans to expand overseas this year, can Volkswagen and other global OEMs keep pace? S&P Global Mobility forecasts that BYD’s sales in Europe will double in 2025 to around 186,000. By 2029, that number could reach 400,000 or more.
Volkswagen is banking on its new affordable EV lineup to help it fend off BYD and other EV leaders over the next few years. The first, VW’s ID.2, will launch next year starting at around 25,000 euros ($27,500), followed by an SUV version and an even cheaper ID.1 in 2027.
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