After completing my 2020 US Electric Vehicle Sales Report, it crossed my mind that it would be interesting to look at longer-term US electric vehicle and broader car sales trends. So, I found the data and have created 3 charts for you to enjoy and examine below. All 3 charts … [continued]
In somewhat of a surprise, for the first time ever, the Tesla Model 3 was the top selling vehicle in California last quarter.
The Tesla Model 3 outsold both the Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord last year in California. With such high sales, Tesla’s Model 3 was the best seller in the near-luxury car segment in the 4th quarter and throughout 2019.
The Tesla Model 3 ended up being the 7th best selling car in the United States in the 4th quarter of 2019 and the 9th best selling car across the whole year*.
Being the start of a new year, it’s time for a review of the most popular stories on CleanTechnica last year, and since it’s actually 2020 now, I’m also going to scroll through a list of the most popular stories of the past decade here on CleanTechnica.
With all of the data tallied, we have one electric car in the top 20*, or in the top 10 actually — the Tesla Model 3. The Model 3, based on our estimates (with support from EV Volumes), lands in the #10 spot in the USA in November among all cars. For the first 11 months of the year, the Model 3 was in the #9 position.
The most popular CleanTechnica article of September did not have “Tesla” in the title, but if you read the piece, you can see the story is closely tied to the Tesla Model 3. The shock I just couldn’t stop shaking was about how many people continue to buy new Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords. Compared to the Model 3, I get it — even if they have the same 5 year cost of ownership (possible), they have a lower upfront price. That said, if $100–200 a month is a dealbreaker for someone looking at these options, my opinion is that they definitely shouldn’t be buying a new car at all. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
The Tesla Model 3’s #6 position in 3rd quarter US car sales* seems both shockingly high and surprisingly low at the same time. No, this is not a trick — I’m serious.
I published an analysis the other day showing the Tesla Model 3 undercutting the Toyota Camry on a 5 year cost of ownership forecast. The plan for a while has been to update these cost of ownership comparisons since prices, tax credits, and other matters have changed in the past several months. I honestly did not expect the Model 3 to come out on top after all of the changes, but it clearly did so in the comparison with the Camry. With that comparison in mind, it’s pretty certain where a similar 5 year cost of ownership comparison with the Honda Accord is going to go.
I wrote the other day about how crazy it is that there are still tens of thousands of Americans buying Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords month after month. Amidst the hundreds of thousands of views on that story, some people griped that the purchase price of a Model 3 is considerably higher than the purchase price of an Accord or Camry. A point I alluded to repeatedly is that the Model 3, despite a higher purchase price, may well have a lower 5 year cost of ownership than an Accord or Camry for many people. Yes, I’m sure there are some Accord and Camry buyers who couldn’t get financing for the ~$39,000 base price of a Model 3, but there are certainly many other Accord and Camry buyers who could quality for financing for a Tesla Model 3 — and then would reap financial savings over time while enjoying a much better car. But that’s all moot for the focus of this article — luxury cars.
