As VW prepares to launch ID.4 in India, a look at world's best-selling EVs

As part of the India 2.0 project, Volkswagen (VW) launched its compact SUV, the Taigun, and its Hond City rival sedan, Virtus. The launch of the Virtus marks the conclusion of VW Group's India 2.0 project. As part of its future plans in the country, the group may be looking at the budding electric car market in India.

The German carmaker Volkswagen officially released glimpses of its electric car, the ID.4 GTX, for India. The electric crossover was unveiled globally in 2021. It was also a part of the 2020 Auto Expo.

Volkswagen is expected to make its move at a time when Tata Motors already has a substantial edge over other players. Currently, Tata Motors sells 4 of every 5 electric cars in the country. Apart from the Tata Nexon EV, which is the country's most popular electric car, Tata recently introduced the electric variant of its popular hatchback, Tata Tiago.

Tiago is also the cheapest electric car in the country. Priced at Rs 8.69-11.99 lakh (ex-showroom price), Tiago is the only electric vehicle available below Rs 10 lakh. Besides Tiago, Tata also has its Tigor, which is offered with an electric powertrain.

Mahindra, on the other hand, has remained true to its philosophy of putting excited powertrains behind its wheels over everything else. It launched the Mahindra XUV 400 keeping the same philosophy in mind.

Besides Tata and Mahindra, Citroen has also made an aggressive entry into the EV space. The French carmaker launched the electric variant of its micro-SUV Citroen eC3 at an ex-showroom price of Rs 11.50 lakh. Given the nature of the Indian market and price-sensitive customers, at this point, these are the cars in the country that have the potential to attract large volumes.

Issues like range anxiety and a higher price keep customers away from electric cars. Cars powered by internal combustion engines (ICE) continue to bring in the numbers for carmakers, but there are cars in the world that are doing really well around the world. Companies like Tesla sell EVs only and sell huge volumes.

Here is a look at the best-selling electric cars in the world.

1. Tesla Model Y -- 54,417 total sales

2. BYD Song (BEV+PHEV) -- 49,889 total sales

3. Tesla Model 3 -- 42, 496 total sales

4. BYD Yuan Plus -- 23,279 total sales

5. BYD Dolphin -- 17,412 total sales

6. Wuling HongGuang Mini EV -- 16,418 total sales

7. BYD Han (BEV+PHEV) -- 12,294 total sales

8. BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV) -- 11,593 total sales

9. BYD Tang (BEV+PHEV) -- 8,959 total sales

10. VW ID.4 -- 8,771 total sales

Source: Cleantechnica