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| As rare as the proverbial hen's teeth on German roads. |
The three main premium marques here take over 82% of the market, 87% if MINI is included. Porsche then takes it up to 90%. So no prejudiced buying here then. The rest feed off crumbs that fall from the dining table. Volvo has cracked the 5% barrier but has it hit a glass ceiling? Tesla execs must be in a lather at the prospect of reaching the 2% mark! At least buying local keeps the money within the country. 
Data source: KBA.
I believe what Volvo will hit is not a glass ceiling, but itself in the groin, with the introduction of the 180 kmph speed limit. This will deter quite a few buyers in the premium segment, not just in Germany, but also in the neighbouring countries whose residents regularly drive in Germany.
ReplyDeleteI believe it will be far more important than any glass ceiling, if there is such thing.
I would be surprised if Tesla's German factory would mean a lot, it certainly did not help Opel, that was hardly recognised as a local brand in the past 30 years.
What I meant by glass ceiling is there may be a limit on how many car buyers in Germany are prepared to buy a fully foreign make. There is strong loyalty in Germany for its car industry.
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