Car production in May with significant growth

In May, domestic passenger car production reached a volume of 363,600 units. This was 19% more than in the same month last year. In the first five months of the year, 1.8mn passenger cars were manufactured in Germany, an increase of 4% compared to the same period last year. However, compared to the pre-crisis year of 2019, production after five months of the current year was still almost 15% below the previous level.

Exports also increased last month: In May, 283,700 brand-new cars were exported from production facilities in Germany, 9% more than in the same month last year. Since January, 1.4mn new cars have been exported, 3% more than in the same period last year. After five months, exports are still a good 13% below the pre-crisis level of 2019.

Compared to the same month last year, 4% fewer domestic orders were registered in May of this year. Incoming orders from abroad in May were a good 6% below the previous year's level. Overall - domestic and international orders combined - 6% fewer orders were recorded in the past month than in the same period last year, but after the first five months, the number was only just under 1% lower than in the previous year.

Market development: In May 2025, slightly more new vehicles were registered on the German passenger car market than in the same month last year. The number of passenger car registrations rose by 1% to a volume of 239,300 units. In the first five months of the year, a total of 1.15mn new passenger cars were registered, 2% fewer than in the first five months of the previous year. The German passenger car market thus remains significantly below the 2019 level: In the first five months of the last pre-coronavirus year, new passenger car registrations in Germany were 25%, or around 377,200 units, higher than currently.

The German electric car market is once again experiencing significant growth. In May, new registrations of electric vehicles (BEV, PHEV, FCEV) increased by 56% to a volume of 68,300 units. Year-to-date, the German electric car market is up 47%, reaching a volume of 314,900 new registrations.

For the full year 2025, the VDA expects pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to increase by approximately 59% to 605,000 units, and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) by 40% to 268,000 units. However, these significant rates of change must be viewed in the context of the significant decline last year. The increases are also put into perspective when considering that, according to the forecast for 2025, the total number of electric passenger cars will exceed the previous peak market result from 2022 by just 5%. While demand for electric cars is developing positively this year, it remains behind the requirements of EU regulations in Germany and other European passenger car markets, primarily due to a lack of framework conditions for market ramp-up.

The e-market in May in detail: BEV registrations increased by 45% to 43,100 units. New PHEV registrations recorded growth of around 79%, reaching 25,200 vehicles. For the year as a whole, new BEV registrations increased by 43% to 201,600 units. The PHEV segment grew by 53% over the course of the year, reaching a volume of 113,300 vehicles in the first five months.