Tesla achieved impressive sales numbers in 2023, delivering a total of 1.23 million Model Ys worldwide. This achievement means that the all-electric crossover is likely to be the most popular vehicle of the year, and will almost certainly dethrone Toyota’s enormously popular RAV4. If confirmed, these results would represent a historic milestone as the first time an electric vehicle has secured the top spot in global sales.
While a few international markets have not yet reported their annual sales data, the Model Y has already secured the title of Europe’s best-selling vehicle, surpassing popular local choices such as the budget-friendly Dacia Sandero, the Peugeot 208, and the VW T-Roc. Tesla achieved sales of 255,000 Model Ys in the European market in the previous year, outperforming the second-place Sandero by 19,000 units.
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In addition, the electric crossover topped the sales charts in China, delivering more than 456,000 units, according to Jato Dynamics. With these results, Tesla has successfully dominated sales in the world’s two largest EV markets.
As is only logical, that was an important part of Tesla’s success. Despite not being able to match the bargain-basement prices offered by some of China’s automakers or Dacia, the Model Y remained one of the more affordable EV options in the western market, as noted by Felipe Munoz, a global analyst at Jato Dynamics.
“The average retail price of a Tesla Model Y in November 2023 was 18% and 23% lower than the average cost of an EV in Germany and USA respectively,” said Munoz. “The price cuts over the course of the year combined with Tesla’s reputation as a reliable and competitive EV manufacturer, helped to fuel already high demand. As a result, Tesla is front of mind for many consumers looking to purchase an EV.”
Read: Tesla Model Y Crowned Europe’s 2023 Sales Champ, Only EV In Top 30
Thanks to its aggressive pricing strategy, Tesla achieved an impressive 64 percent year-on-year increase in Model Y sales. This translated to the Model Y accounting for approximately two out of every three vehicles sold by Tesla globally. Furthermore, it allowed the model to transcend the EV segment, potentially surpassing the sales figures of the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla, with Toyota reportedly selling 1.07 million RAV4s and 1.01 million Corollas, according to Jato Dynamics’ estimates.
Have these numbers been confirmed?
When contacted for comment, Toyota told Carscoops that it was unable to provide production figures for 2023 at the time. However, a spokesperson mentioned that they would be prepared to share these figures on January 29, once they had been compiled and were ready for announcement.
However, Jato Dynamics believes that the Model Y’s sales lead is large enough to be “unassailable.” Whether or not the RAV4 or the Corolla can catch up with the EV, its sales performance in 2023 has been impressive.
“The increase in global sales of the Model Y is unprecedented, particularly for a vehicle in the top ten best-sellers,” said Munoz. “What Tesla has been able to achieve with the Model Y in such a short space of time is simply remarkable.”
