When it comes to the title of ‘world’s best-selling car’, we’re used to seeing a Toyota badge attached to it. But surprisingly, that’s not the case in 2023.
That’s according to JATO Dynamics, a global supplier of automotive business intelligence. JATO Dynamics has been around for 40 years and has been collecting global automotive sales since 1984, among other things.
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So, if it’s not a Toyota at the front, what car came out on top of the global charts? You might be surprised to learn that it’s the Tesla Model Y, the American electric vehicle automaker’s compact crossover. So not only is the Model Y the world’s best-selling car, it’s also the world’s best-selling EV, top-selling compact crossover, and number one EV crossover in sales.
How many were sold in 2023, you ask? Per the figures, Tesla managed to shift 1,223,000 units of its Model Y around the world. It marked a staggering 64% sales increase over 2022 figures, thanks in part to the supply chain issue in the company’s rear-view mirror.
Its sales success is mostly concentrated in the North American and European markets. North America easily sells over 10 million units every year, and it’s estimated that 15.5 million new cars were bought by consumers in 2023. Europe is another strong market for the Model Y mainly due to the EV incentives offered by countries, as well as the continent’s push to phase out combustion engined car sales by the next decade.
The Tesla Model Y also managed to dethrone the Toyota RAV4 as the world’s best-selling car. Last year, the RAV4 found 1,075,000 new owners and actually marked an improvement of 5% over 2022’s sales. Despite that, it’s still 480,000 units behind the Tesla.
Does this mean EVs now rule the sales charts, too? Not quite.
The Model Y’s sales might be simply be a surge due to its wider availability in countries where it’s sold. It’s possible that it might no longer be the case by the time 2024’s total auto sales have been tallied. That said, there’s also a good chance that it could sustain its sales rally to keep its title.
Congrats to Tesla, then. Its new challenge now is to keep Toyota and Honda at bay for the sales crown.
