Polestar delivered 357 vehicles in Germany in March, matching registrations from the same month a year ago, according to data from Germany’s motor transport authority KBA.
In the first quarter, the brand led by the former Nikola and Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller sold 855 vehicles in Europe’s largest car market, representing a 35.5% increase from a year earlier.
In the Netherlands, the automaker delivered 165 vehicles in March, up 11% year-over-year. First-quarter sales reached 439 units, a 25% increase from the same period in 2024.
In Switzerland, the company recorded one of its strongest increases, with March registrations rising more than 250% to 107 units. Quarterly deliveries totaled 248, more than tripling from the previous year.
Polestar also gained market share in Portugal, where it sold 65 cars last month—nearly double the volume from March 2024. Quarterly sales in the country reached 111 units, marking a 126.5% jump from a year ago.
EV Sales in Germany
Back in the German market, Tesla saw registrations fall sharply in March, down 42.5% from a year earlier, and plunged 62.2% in the first quarter.
Tesla’s main rival BYD, which entered the German market in late 2022 and sells both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models, posted a 403% year-on-year jump in March with 805 vehicles sold. First-quarter sales rose 212% to 1,225 units.
Premium EV brand Nio struggled and sold just 21 vehicles in Germany last month, down 56.5% year-over-year. First-quarter deliveries totaled 64 units, a 37.3% decline from the previous year.
EV Adoption in Germany
Hybrid models continued to dominate Germany’s powertrain mix, accounting for 40% of all passenger car registrations in March, a 20% rise compared to 2023.
Plug-in hybrids made up 10.5% of the market, growing 65.8% from a year earlier, while battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 16.8%, rising 35.5%.
Expansion to France
Polestar in January said it will enter the French market this summer as part of a broader push to expand its retail network to more than 180 locations across Europe over the next two years.
The company was previously barred from selling cars in France due to a 2022 court ruling that upheld a trademark dispute over similarities to Citroën’s chevron logo.
Global Sales
Polestar sold 12,256 vehicles in the last quarter of 2024, taking last year’s figures to 44,851 units. In 2023, the company had sold 52,796 vehicles.
The company has recently delayed its fourth-quarter results to April, saying it would release them alongside its annual filing for fiscal 2024, but confirmed their first-quarter numbers will be out on April 10.
US Tariffs
On Tuesday, Polestar removed its Polestar 2 model from its US website, amid the 25% tariffs announced by Trump on every foreign-made vehicle and parts.
Approached by media outlet Electrek, Polestar said “Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 will be the priority in the North American market”, stating that “there are a select number of Polestar 2s in stock on select retailers”.
