German sales jump 17% in October as supply problems ease

FRANKFURT — New-car sales rose in Germany 17 percent in October as supply issues eased and registrations of electric cars continued to grow.

Registrations rose to 208,642, according to data from the KBA motor transport authority published on Thursday.

Sales of full-electric vehicles increased 17 percent for a 17.1 percent market share. Diesel vehicle sales rose 18 percent to a 17.5 percent share, while demand for gasoline-powered vehicles rose 3.1 percent to give the powertrain a 32 percent market share.

Polestar, DS winners

Volvo Cars subsidiary Polestar was the biggest monthly winner with registrations up 230 percent. Stellantis brand DS’s rise in registrations was the second highest at 177 percent.

Other monthly winners included Tesla, up 117 percent; Audi, up 95 percent; Alfa Romeo, up 83 percent; Seat, up 64 percent; and Skoda, up 51 percent.

German premium brands had a mixed month, with Mercedes-Benz up 19 percent, while BMW sales were down 14 percent.

VW brand, the German market leader, saw registrations rise 46 percent, while Ford was up 20 percent. Opel fell 20 percent.

Through October, registrations are down 5.5 percent to 2.07 million.