As I just reported, the Tesla Model 3 was the #11 best selling car in the USA in 2018. As reported earlier today, in December, the Tesla Model 3 was the #1 top selling car in the USA that was produced by an American car company.
But that’s just the beginning of notable Tesla sales results.
In the month of December, Tesla sold more luxury cars than all other automakers. In fact, it accounted for approximately 30% of luxury car sales. Tesla sold more luxury sedans than BMW and Audi combined, more than Mercedes-Benz and Lexus combined. It absolutely crushed the luxury car competition.
| Luxury Car Brand | December 2018 US Sales | Segment Share |
| Acura Cars | 3,988 | 4% |
| Audi Cars | 9,047 | 10% |
| BMW Cars | 17,428 | 18% |
| Buick (est.) | 2,388 | 3% |
| Cadillac (est.) | 2,268 | 2% |
| Infiniti Cars | 4,681 | 5% |
| Jaguar Cars (est.) | 1,000 | 1% |
| Lexus Cars | 9,551 | 10% |
| Lincoln Cars | 3,044 | 3% |
| Mercedes-Benz Cars | 15,482 | 16% |
| Volvo | 966 | 1% |
| Tesla Cars (est.) | 28,670 | 30% |
| TOTAL | 94,526 | 100% |
In terms of all luxury vehicles — SUVs and crossovers included — Tesla was #4 in December, just a bit behind Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and BMW … despite not having a crossover/CUV on the market.
| Luxury Auto Brand | December 2018 US Sales | Market Share |
| Acura | 16,774 | 7% |
| Audi | 22,765 | 9% |
| BMW | 34,357 | 14% |
| Buick (est.) | 20,503 | 8% |
| Cadillac (est.) | 16,585 | 7% |
| Infiniti | 18,065 | 7% |
| Jaguar Land Rover | 14,079 | 6% |
| Lexus | 35,524 | 14% |
| Lincoln | 11,526 | 5% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 36,254 | 14% |
| Volvo | 8,826 | 4% |
| Tesla (est.) | 31,970 | 13% |
| TOTAL | 250,454 | 100% |
If you look at the full year, naturally, Tesla didn’t perform as well — it spent most of the year ramping up production. Nonetheless, approximately 1 out of 5 luxury car sales were Teslas (the Model 3 or the Model S).
| Luxury Car Brand | 2018 US Sales | Segment Share |
| Acura Cars | 43,842 | 5% |
| Audi Cars | 97,071 | 11% |
| BMW Cars | 193,465 | 22% |
| Buick Cars | 33,781 | 4% |
| Cadillac Cars | 31,746 | 4% |
| Infiniti Cars | 48,259 | 5% |
| Jaguar Cars (est.) | 11,000 | 1% |
| Lexus Cars | 92,660 | 11% |
| Lincoln Cars | 28,610 | 3% |
| Mercedes-Benz Cars | 150,147 | 17% |
| Volvo Cars | 21,456 | 2% |
| Tesla Cars (est.) | 169,390 | 19% |
| TOTAL | 877,585 | 100% |
Across all types of luxury vehicles — SUVs and crossovers included — approximately 1 out of 10 sales were Tesla sales (Model 3, Model S, or Model X).
| Luxury Auto Brand | 2018 US Sales | Market Share |
| Acura | 158,934 | 7% |
| Audi | 223,323 | 10% |
| BMW | 311,014 | 14% |
| Buick | 206,863 | 9% |
| Cadillac | 154,702 | 7% |
| Infiniti | 149,280 | 7% |
| Jaguar Land Rover | 122,626 | 6% |
| Lexus | 298,310 | 14% |
| Lincoln | 103,587 | 5% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 315,959 | 14% |
| Volvo | 98,263 | 5% |
| Tesla (est.) | 197,680 | 9% |
| TOTAL | 2,181,607 | 100% |
This company is 15 years old. The Model S hit the market 6½ years ago.
Can you spell disruption? More importantly, can luxury automaker execs and shareholders spell disruption, and can they see it coming?
The good news is that these competing automakers are getting more serious about electrification — a bit more serious. The bad news (for them as well as humanity) is that they’re still moving too slowly and are years behind Tesla in critical ways.
The other good news is that Tesla is moving down market and is broadening its vehicle offerings into the crossover and pickup categories in order to pull in more buyers. The other bad news is that conventional automakers don’t seem well prepared to compete with their own highly compelling and widely available electric options in those classes. I don’t say this often, but the next few years are going to be interesting. Tesla getting up to 250,000–400,000 sales a year is an explosion, but it’s not putting any competitors into bankruptcy. Reaching 1–2 million thanks to the introduction of an electric crossover (Model Y) and electric pickup could be another story.
If you would like to buy a Tesla and want the benefits that come with a referral, feel free to use my referral code — http://ts.la/tomasz7234 — or not.
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