The first month of the year has come to an end and the German media has published a report on the number of registered cars in Europe’s largest car market.
January 2026 in the German new car market started with a decline – compared to January 2024, registrations decreased by 6.6%, reaching less than 194 thousand cars.
Among manufacturers, the picture was mixed. Volkswagen, despite a significant drop in sales, maintained a strong leadership position. Meanwhile, Opel was the biggest gainer of the month, significantly increasing both sales and market share. Porsche, Mini and BMW also showed positive results, while Ford, Mercedes and Audi started the year weaker. Škoda stood out among the import brands, which strengthened its leading position in the market with 9.6% of the total market share.
Chinese manufacturers, especially BYD, also became increasingly prominent, although their growth was largely fueled by discounts and special promotions.
The most significant changes occurred in the choice of drives. Hybrid and fully electric models (BEVs) continued to rapidly conquer the market: BEV registrations increased by almost a quarter and reached a 22% market share. Diesel engines, on the other hand, experienced a drop in capability. This shift towards electromobility also reduced the average CO₂ emissions of new cars by almost 10%.
In general, the market shrank, but electrification accelerated, Opel and Škoda strengthened their positions, but Volkswagen – despite the decline – still dictates the rules in the German car market.
TOP-10 of the most requested car models in January:
1.Volkswagen Golf – 6529
2.Volkswagen Tiguan – 4228
3. Skoda Octavia – 3993
4.Volkswagen T-Roc – 3859
5.Opel Corsa – 3705
6. Audi A6 – 3363
7.Mercedes GLC – 3140
8. Skoda Elroq – 3121
9.Volkswagen Passat – 3068
10.BMW X3 – 2799
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date:2026-02-09 08:12:00
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