New Cars 2026: The Big E-Wave

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Crisis mood, sales slump, bleak outlook, rigid austerity plans, including job cuts: the automotive industry has launched into a chorus of lament. However, at the time of going to press for this article, it can be stated that in the first eleven months, slightly more new cars were sold in Germany than in the previous year. Now one might say that 2024 is certainly not remembered as a boom year. However, a complete collapse was avoided, even though the state has withdrawn billions in subsidies from the market; keyword “abolition of e-car purchase support”.

By the end of November, 2,611,152 cars were registered for the first time in this country, compared to 2,592,610 in the same period last year. In the overview, you will find the registration figures for 2025 and 2024 in the title, each up to the end of November. The figures for the full year will only be available in January 2026. As expected, the year 2025 was quite varied for the manufacturers. A strong outlier upward was the BYD brand, which managed to sell almost 20,000 cars. In the previous year, it was just over 2000 in the same period. Tesla, on the other hand, sold only 17,358 units, down from 33,669 in the previous year. The revisions of the Model 3 and Model Y have not led to any revival in demand, nor have they been able to compensate for what Elon Musk has produced on other stages.

In 2026, car sales in Germany as a whole could continue to rise. The renaissance of state purchase support for electric cars will contribute to this, as will the wave of new electric cars, which are no longer quite so expensive, from Volkswagen, among others. Our compilation makes no claim to completeness. Rather, we have endeavored to gather the most important models.

Audi 184,168 (2024: 186,055)

The Audi brand has undoubtedly not had easy times, as evidenced by the closure of the small Brussels plant. The outlook is not necessarily better, given what BMW and Mercedes are bringing to the market next year as direct competitors with much attention. For the markets in Asia and North America, the world premieres of the Q7 and Q9 are certainly of high importance, but for the European market in terms of sales figures, they are hardly relevant. More important will be the comprehensive model revision of the Q4 e-tron. As with the ID.4, the Volkswagen Group is planning a deep intervention in the design here.

In the second half of the year, the A2 e-tron project is expected to solidify into a production model. We expect technically an ID.3, but visually it will appear distinct. The premiere is likely still in 2026, but delivery will almost certainly not begin until 2027.

BMW 229,536 (2024: 211,279)

BMW slightly increased its sales figures in Germany last year. The brand is solid in business, and the models are clearly popular. With the iX3, the first representative based on the “New Class” was presented in late summer 2025. Initially, only the preliminary top model can be ordered, and demand appears to be enormous. Delivery in 2026 cannot be guaranteed in every case. BMW is therefore unlikely to rush to release the slightly less expensive versions for now.

For the third quarter, the double premiere of the hardly recognizable 3 Series with combustion engine and the i3 sedan is planned. With both, BMW wants to appeal to that remaining core clientele who are not keen on the SUV format. The i3, which will also be available as a station wagon from 2027, is expected to have an energy content of 80 to 100 kWh depending on the version and offer peak charging capacities of over 300 kW. Without a profound update, the i4 (test) is technically overshadowed.

At the end of the year, BMW will present the iX4, which will likely be another visually polarizing SUV coupe. In between, the 7 Series and i7 (test) will be revised; it's quite possible that BMW will tone down the visuals somewhat here. We expect at least the first images of the facelifted 5 Series in 2026, but the sedan and wagon are unlikely to reach dealers until 2027. Despite its high prices and rather mediocre travel characteristics in terms of range and charging performance, the iX1 is currently one of the ten most sought-after electric cars in Germany. Should there be a change in this regard, BMW would likely increase the battery first. It is quite conceivable that the iX1 will receive a battery upgrade to around 80 kWh next year, if only as an option.

BYD 19,197 (2024: 2568)

There may be some Chinese car manufacturers who quickly disappear from the European market if they make it to us at all. But the giant BYD will almost certainly stay. Sales in the first eleven months have more than septupled compared to the same period last year. BYD has reacted quickly to the tariffs imposed by the EU on electric cars from China. From 2026, the Atto 2 will also be sold as a plug-in hybrid. The compact SUV will also be offered as an electric car with a larger battery that can be charged faster. If BYD also addresses the software weaknesses noted in the test, the car has a good chance of establishing itself in the market.

The slightly larger Atto 3 will be slightly revised, and here too, the manufacturer will likely strive to fix one or two software glitches. The Dolphin, a competitor to the ID.3, has played a subordinate role in Germany so far. A facelift in the summer is intended to give it more resonance.

Citroën 45,456 (2024: 49,301)

Citroën has no new cars planned for next year. Instead, the ë-C5 Aircross will receive an almost 100 kWh battery as “Long Range,” which will finally also include preconditioning of the battery cells. This allows the maximum charging capacity of 160 kW to be used with reasonable reliability even in winter, provided the warm-up phase is long enough. However, buyers should not expect to pay significantly less than 50,000 euros for this version.

Dacia 65,706 (2024: 64,169)

Dacia is particularly successful in Europe among private new car buyers. This is understandable, although here too, the higher trim levels are more in demand than the versions whose prices are repeatedly highlighted in public through advertising. In 2026, the brand belonging to the Renault Group has no completely new model planned, but some revisions. Sandero and Jogger will receive a facelift right at the start of the year, and the Duster will also be slightly updated. New for the Bigster will be the combination of all-wheel drive and autogas. Dacia is currently the only manufacturer still offering LPG ex works. There is nothing to indicate that this will change in the foreseeable future. After all, demand at Dacia seems to be large enough to expand the offering.

The small electric car Spring will also be slightly revised. It remains true to itself, with a minimal price being the most important attraction. To keep the price down despite rising costs, the battery cell chemistry will be switched from NMC to LFP. It will only hold 24.3 kWh. On the other hand, the DC charging capacity will increase from 30 to 40 kW. Dacia has also significantly increased the power of the drives, which will climb to 53 and 75 kW.

Ford 100,390 (2024: 92,793)

Ford sold more cars in the first eleven months of 2025 than in the same period last year. The best-selling models were the Focus, Kuga, and Puma. The Focus was discontinued in November, the Kuga (test) is in the late autumn of its production cycle, and the Puma as an electric car is a stopgap solution. Ford's problem is that the brand can only serve its core customer base to a limited extent for now. The Explorer, Capri, and Puma will be slightly revised in 2026, but this is unlikely to generate significant momentum. Ford faces a dry spell, and it will be a very tough one. The first of two electric cars produced by Renault is not expected to hit the market until early 2028. Unless the brand surprises with a model we haven't anticipated, dealers face two years, at the end of which not all dealerships will remain.

Honda 6,757 (2024: 6,526)

Until the 1990s, the name Prelude stood for an elegant sports coupe. Sales in Germany were discontinued at the end of 2000. A new Prelude will launch in 2026, this time with a mostly serial hybrid drive: the combustion engine primarily serves to drive the generator. This supplies the electricity for the electric motor that drives the car. Such a system can reduce fuel consumption to a very low level. It remains to be seen how the target group will react, as particularly low fuel consumption is likely to be considered of secondary importance here. The price of at least just under 50,000 euros will, to put it mildly, add a high degree of exclusivity to the car.