In a statement on its website, Tesla said it was disappointed to have been excluded from the scheme, which offers a €4,000 purchase incentive for electric vehicles and €3,000 against plug-in hybrids up to a value of €60,000, with funding split equally between manufacturers and the government.

International manufacturers can sign up, but the Tesla Model S and forthcoming Model X are the only fully electric vehicles which are not eligible for the government incentives. However, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche all offer plug-in hybrids which also do not qualify.

Tesla said the price limit was “arbitrary” and that it would offer its own incentives, as the Model S and Model X replace vehicles in sectors with the highest CO2 emissions. The company added that it will work with German ministries to develop a scheme which does not benefit specific manufacturers.