Tesla’s Model 3 Draws Dutch Demand, Becomes Best-Selling Car

(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc.’s Model 3 has vaulted past the VW Polo to become the best-selling model in the Netherlands, making the country the manufacturer’s most important market in Europe.

The California-based carmaker sold 5,768 units of its most affordable sedan during September, an almost four-fold jump from August, according to Dutch motor traders association Bovag. Demand for the Model 3 also made Tesla the most popular car brand in the country for the month.

Tesla’s sales have rocketed in Europe since the automaker introduced the Model 3 in key markets such as the Netherlands, Norway and Germany, beginning in February. The car, which retails from 43,390 euros ($47,308) in Europe, has left competitors trailing with a range of 240 miles on a single charge. Deliveries of the VW’s ID.3, which is set to retail for less than 30,000 euros with a range of 205 miles, are due to start early next year.

In the Netherlands, uptake of purely electric vehicles has been spurred by tax incentives that can save drivers several hundreds of euros a month on leased vehicles, according to leasing firm ALD Automotive Netherlands.

Government plans to roll back some of those incentives as of next year have prompted buyers to order cars now, an ALD spokeswoman said, while the Model 3’s competitive driving range and pricing have also attracted demand.

For the year, VW’s namesake brand still leads new-car registrations at 36,449 vehicles, compared with total sales of 13,991 for Tesla.

To contact the reporters on this story: Elisabeth Behrmann in Munich at ebehrmann1@bloomberg.net;Wout Vergauwen in Amsterdam at wvergauwen@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tara Patel at tpatel2@bloomberg.net, Kevin Miller

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.