Tesla Model 3 Outsold Honda Accord & Toyota Corolla In California In 2019

The Tesla Model 3 outsold both the Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord last year in California, according to the most recent California Auto Outlook, a publication that is sponsored by the California New Car Dealers Association. The publication expects the state’s new-vehicle market to decline by 3.7% in 2020 while still exceeding the 2009 market by 780,000 units. Overall, the Model 3 was the 3rd best selling automobile (and 3rd best selling car) in the state.

With such high sales, Tesla’s Model 3 was the best seller (by a landslide) in the Near-Luxury Cars segment in the 4th quarter and throughout 2019. In the near-luxury segment, the top five brands were the Tesla Model 3, Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3 Series, Lexus ES, and BMW 4 Series.

In the Luxury and High-End Sports Cars segment, the Tesla Model S ranked 3rd, but outsold the Mercedes S-Class and the Audi A6.

The Model 3 outsold the 2nd best sellers in both the Compact Cars segment (the Toyota Corolla) and Mid-size Cars segment (the Honda Accord). That’s despite being considered a “near-luxury” car and having a higher selling price. The best selling car ever is the Toyota Corolla. It has been around for a while — since 1966 — and has sold over 40 million units worldwide. The fact that in the last quarter of 2019 it was beaten in California by Tesla shows that people want greener vehicles. They want to driver clean vehicles that do not pollute our air. The Model 3 also offers higher tech, greater safety, better acceleration, and lower operational costs than the Corolla.

Tesla ranked #8 on the list of top selling brands in California last year, ahead of BMW. Even with a starting price of $35,000, the Model 3 may be more economical than some lower priced cars, but the challenge of higher monthly payments is still a thing and there’s also still low awareness of the Model 3’s relatively low cost of ownership. Plus, many still don’t even realize you can get a Tesla with a price tag under $40,000!

https://twitter.com/jeremyjudkins/status/1228684608155389957

In the tweet above, Jeremy Judkins shares that he bought a Chevy Volt and wound up paying $41,319, yet Chevy isn’t really perceived as a luxury vehicle brand (it isn’t one), whereas people see the Model 3 and expect it costs much more than a Volt. Jeremy wonders just how many people don’t even consider Tesla because they think Tesla only makes cars in the $100,000 price range. Tesla is seen as a premium vehicle brand, and it won’t be getting away from that image any time soon. That’s okay — premium at affordable prices is always a good thing. People just need to learn about the affordability bit.

Overall, in the last quarter of 2019, Tesla did well in California. It may have sold less in the 4th quarter of 2019 than the 4th quarter of 2019, but Tesla was the best seller in other places in 2019. USA Today shares that Tesla was one of the hottest best sellers of 2019 in America. It was the 9th best-seller car  in the USA, according to another CleanTechnica report. It was also the best-selling electric vehicle (EV) in the US — by a gigantic margin. That’s because Tesla appeals not only to those looking for an EV, but to those simply looking for an affordable sedan with great value. Globally, the Model 3 was the best-selling EV as well, with nearly 3 times as many sales as the #2 EV, China’s top selling electric car.