Domestic passenger car production totaled 385,300 units in September. Compared to the same month last year, this represented an increase of almost 2%, including one additional working day. In the first three quarters, 3.14mn passenger cars rolled off domestic production lines, an increase of 2% compared to the same period last year. Thus, year-to-date production is still 12% below the pre-crisis level of 2019.
Exports fell short of the previous year’s figure last month. The 292,900 brand-new passenger cars exported from German production facilities represented a 2% decline compared to the same month last year. From January to September, passenger car exports reached the previous year’s level with a total of 2.41mn units. After nine months, exports are still 10% short of the pre-crisis level of 2019.
Incoming domestic orders increased by 10% in September compared to the same month last year. Orders from abroad were 3% higher than the previous year. In September, 4% more overall orders (domestic and foreign orders combined) were registered than a year earlier. After the first nine months of this year, total incoming orders are at the same level as last year.
In September 2025, more vehicles were newly registered in the German passenger car market than in the same month last year. Compared to the same month last year, the number of passenger car registrations rose by 13% to a volume of 235,500 units. A total of 2.1mn passenger cars were newly registered in the nine months of the year. The number of new registrations is thus unchanged compared to the first three quarters of the previous year. The German passenger car market therefore remains well below the level of 2019: In the first nine months of the last pre-coronavirus year, new car registrations in Germany were 30%, or around 629,800 units, higher than currently.
The German electric car market again recorded significant growth in September. Last month, new registrations of electric vehicles (BEVs, PHEVs, FCEVs) rose by 48% to 73,200 units, the highest figure for a September to date. Year to date, the German electric car market is up 47%, reaching a volume of 600,000 new registrations.
In detail: In September, registrations of purely battery-electric passenger vehicles (BEVs) rose by 32% to 45,500 units. New registrations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) recorded growth of around 85%, reaching 27,700 vehicles. For the year as a whole, new BEV registrations increased by 38% to 382,200 units. The PHEV segment grew by 64%, reaching a volume of 217,800 vehicles in the first nine months.
SOURCE: VDA
