Domestic passenger car production amounted to 352,400 units in April. Compared to the same month of the previous year, this represented a decline of just under 4%. Consequently, 1.42mn passenger cars were manufactured in Germany during the first four months—nearly 2% fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year. Production remains significantly below pre-crisis levels: after the first four months, output is 15% below the level recorded in 2019.

Detailed production data for the first quarter is now also available. While the production of passenger cars with internal combustion engines declined by 2% to 749,400 units, the manufacturing of electric passenger cars rose slightly to 422,700 units. Specifically, the production of purely battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) grew by 1% to 319,600 vehicles, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)—at 103,100 units—managed to maintain the high production levels of the previous year. With BEVs accounting for 29.9% and PHEVs for 9.6% of domestic production, record figures were achieved for the first quarter in terms of their respective shares of total domestic output.

In this year's April, total exports of 270,400 units fell 3% below the figure for the same month of the previous year. Since January, 1.08mn passenger cars have been exported, 2% fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year. Despite increasing trade barriers, more than three quarters of domestically manufactured passenger cars continue to be shipped abroad (export ratio: 76%).

Domestic orders rose by 9% in April compared to the same month of the previous year. At the same time, orders from abroad were 18% below the previous year's figure. Overall—combining orders from both domestic and foreign sources—15% fewer orders were recorded in April than in April 2025.

In April, the number of passenger car registrations rose by 3% compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching a volume of 249,300 units. In the first four months of the year, a total of 948,700 new vehicles were registered—5% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year. Here, too, the pre-crisis level remains significantly unmet: after the first four months, the market stands a good 20% below the level recorded in 2019.

Last month, new registrations of electric vehicles (BEVs, PHEVs, and FCEVs) rose by 32% to a volume of 92,000 units. Consequently, the electric share of total registrations stood at 37%—meaning that well over one in three new registrations last month was an electric passenger car. In detail: BEV registrations saw above-average growth, rising by 41% to 64,400 units. New registrations of PHEVs recorded more moderate growth of 13%, reaching 27,600 vehicles. Thus, in the first four months of the current year, the electric passenger car market reached a volume of 327,700 units—an increase of 33% compared to the first four months of the previous year. Accordingly, the year-to-date figures show a 41% increase in new BEV registrations, reaching 224,000 units. The PHEV segment grew by 18% during the first four months of the current year, reaching a volume of 103,700 vehicles.