Car production down in April

In April, domestic passenger car production reached a volume of 367,500 units. This was 7% less than in the same month last year, with one fewer working day available. After the first four months of the year, just over 1.4mn passenger cars were manufactured in Germany (+1%). However, compared to the pre-crisis year of 2019, production after four months of the current year was 13% lower than that figure.

Exports also fell below the previous year's level last month: In April, 276,300 brand-new cars were exported from production facilities in Germany, a decrease of 8% compared to the same month last year. Since January, 1.1mn new cars have been exported, 1% more than in the same period last year. After four months, exports are 14% below the pre-crisis level of 2019.

Compared to the same month last year, 4% fewer domestic orders were registered in April of this year. In contrast, incoming orders from abroad in April were 7% higher than the previous year. Overall (domestic and foreign orders combined) 5% more orders were recorded in April than in the same period last year, and after the first four months, there was an increase of 1% compared to the same period last year.

In April 2025, 242,700 vehicles were registered in the German passenger car market, roughly the same number as in the same month last year. A total of 907,300 new passenger cars were registered in the first four months of the year. This was 3% fewer than in the previous year. The German passenger car market thus remains well below the level of 2019: Compared to the first four months of the last pre-coronavirus year, new car registrations in Germany in the first four months of the current year were 24% below the market volume at that time.

The German electric car market continues to experience significant growth. In April, new registrations of electric vehicles (BEVs, PHEVs, and fuel cell (FCEVs)) rose by 56% to a volume of 69,870 units. Year-to-date, the German electric car market has grown by 44%, reaching a volume of 246,600 new registrations. In detail: In April, registrations of purely battery-electric cars (BEVs) rose by 53% to 45,540 units. New registrations of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) recorded growth of around 61%, reaching 24,320 vehicles. Accordingly, new BEV registrations increased by 43% to 158,500 units for the year. The PHEV segment grew by 47%, reaching a volume of 88,100 vehicles in the first four months.