The Tesla Model Y is the first electric vehicle to rank as the world’s best-selling car.
As Motor1 reports, car analytics firm Jato Dynamics looked at the best-selling cars in the first quarter of 2023 in 53 worldwide markets, and the Tesla Model Y came out on top.
After ranking as the third best-selling car in the world last year, behind the Toyota RAV4 and the Toyota Corolla, the Model Y topped both in the first quarter of 2023 with 267,200 units sold. This is despite the fact that, as The Verge notes, the 2023 Model Y starts at $47,490, more than the 2023 Corolla ($21,550) and RAV4 ($27,575). The total sold figure represents a 69% year-on-year increase for the Model Y, Jato Dynamics says.
In 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told investors: “We think Model Y will be the best selling car or vehicle of any kind in the world. Probably next year. I’m not 100 percent certain next year, but I think it’s quite likely... more likely than not, that 2022 Model Y is best selling car or truck... in the world.” While missing the mark by a year, it’s nonetheless an achievement.
Meanwhile, in less flattering news for the automaker, it was revealed that Tesla received thousands of complaints and crash reports about its Autopilot features between 2015 and 2022, which it tried to keep hidden. Tesla told Elektrek that it will initiate legal proceedings against the leaker of the data, who it called a “disgruntled ex-employee."
