Domestic passenger car production amounted to 353,600 total units in October. Compared with the same month last year, this represents a decline of 4 percent. During the first ten months of this year, 3.5 million passenger cars (+1 percent) rolled off domestic production lines. Thus, production to date remains 12 percent below the level of the pre-crisis year 2019.
Exports fell slightly short of the prior-year level in the past month. A total of 277,500 brand-new passenger cars exported from German production facilities represented a decline of 1 percent. From January to October, passenger car exports reached 2.7 million units, matching the previous year’s level. After ten months, exports thus remain 10 percent below the pre-crisis level of 2019.
Domestic incoming orders increased by 2 percent in October compared with the same month last year. At the same time, orders from abroad were almost 10 percent below the previous year’s level. However, fluctuations are normal, as shown by the year-to-date view: After ten months, foreign orders are only 2 percent below the comparable period of the previous year. In total—combining domestic and foreign orders—8 percent fewer orders were registered in October than in the same month last year. Over the course of the year, total incoming orders are running 1 percent below the level of the first ten months of the previous year.
In October 2025, more vehicles were newly registered on the German passenger car market than in the same month last year. Compared with the previous year, the number of new registrations rose by 8 percent to 250,100 units. Over the ten months of the year, a total of 2.4 million passenger cars were newly registered. This represents an increase of 1 percent compared with the same period last year. The German passenger car market, however, remains well below the level of 2019: In the first ten months of the final pre-corona year, new passenger car registrations in Germany were still 22 percent, or around 664,300 units, higher than at present.
The German electric passenger car market once again recorded strong growth. In the past month, new registrations of electric vehicles (BEV, PHEV, FCEV) increased by 52 percent to 83,390 units—the highest October figure to date. Over the year to date, the German electric passenger car market is up 47 percent, reaching a volume of 683,400 new registrations.
In detail: In October, registrations of purely battery-electric passenger cars (BEV) rose by 48 percent to 52,430 units. New registrations of plug-in hybrids (PHEV) increased by 60 percent to 30,950 vehicles. Over the year to date, this results in an increase in BEV registrations of 39 percent to 434,600 units. The PHEV segment grew by 63 percent, reaching a volume of 248,700 vehicles during the past ten months.
