[RahulNagaraj]

According to a recent report, the Tesla Model 3 has entered the global top-10 best-selling car ranking for 2021.



The Model 3 sedan from the American EV brand slotted itself in 9th position, with 5.08 lakh units of global sales. This translates to a 40% growth in sales, allowing it to rise from its 21st position in the previous years. Reports also suggest that the Tesla Model 3 sales are expected to grow further and should hit the top 5 by the end of this year.

Tesla's SUV offering, the Model Y slotted in the 19th position on the same list. However, reports suggest that the Model Y is likely to outsell the Model 3 by the end of this year.



Further on top, the Toyota RAV4 was the best-selling car in 2021. The RAV4 outsold the Corolla to become the first-ever SUV to achieve the top spot. Another popular model, the Ford F-150, seems to have lost out a position, dropping to 7th place with 5.62 lakh units - an 8% fall in sales. On the other hand, the Toyota Hilux pickup has managed to register a 22% growth and slot itself in 8th place.

The Honda CR-V, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Camry, Honda HR-V and Honda Accord complete the top-10 list.

Source: Fiat Group World

Link to Team-BHP news

[Arsenic]

And out of this list, only two cars are sold here in India, the overpriced Hilux and imported Camry!

No RAV4, no CR-V, no HR-V, heck, even no Corolla!

I wonder what contributes to it the most. Import taxes? Manufacturer laziness? India being heavily price-sensitive?

[learning_cars]

Originally Posted by Arsenic

I wonder what contributes to it the most. Import taxes? Manufacturer laziness? India being heavily price-sensitive?

Definitely a combination of the reasons you mentioned. We did have a few of these cars but I don't think manufacturers have the confidence in these products doing well in India anymore which is quite sad.

[akhilesh]

Wait until production of Model Y is increased to meet demand. I expect it to be the single most selling single car model in the world.

[dragracer567]

I'm not at all surprised. With surging energy prices and heavy taxes on fossil fuel cars in many markets, going for an electric car is a no-brainer. However, the only electric cars that is viable to be used for long-distance travel are Teslas IMHO because the charger network for other brands is just appalling to say the least with the existing ones not functioning many a time! So, the only option left is the Tesla Model 3 and I think it will stay that way for a while as according to many reviews, the Model Y has a compromised ride though it will probably sell a lot as well riding on the crossover wave.

[Porcupine]

The Model 3 is actually a fantastic machine so I'm not surprised at all. Possibly the best value proposition for an EV in terms of quality, range and badge. I expect the Model Y to better this sales figure quite easily.

[GTO]

It's indeed big news when an electric car makes it to the World's Top 10. Congratulations to Tesla & Elon Musk. Not just for this, but also for forcing the entire auto industry into moving to EVs.

I have spent approximately 2 weeks with the Model 3 and can tell you it's one heck of a car. Click here to read Harshal's comprehensive ownership review (Journeying into the electric future – My Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Review).

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

However, reports suggest that the Model Y is likely to outsell the Model 3 by the end of this year.

Originally Posted by akhilesh

Wait until production of Model Y is increased to meet demand.

Agreed. The price difference is minimal, and the Model Y is more practical.

Originally Posted by Arsenic

No RAV4, no CR-V, no HR-V, heck, even no Corolla!

Toyota India & Honda India have been extremely lethargic with their global portfolio. Sad really, because they have such wonderful products sold internationally.

[kiku007]

Not surprising at all.

The Tesla Model 3 has a special space in the automotive history for being the most widely sought after EV. People just like it.

Coincidentally this also marks the 10th anniversary of the Tesla Model S going on sale in June 2012.

Consumer Reports has a great article marking this.

How the Tesla Model S Changed the World
On the 10th anniversary of the day the car first went on sale to the public, we look at how this groundbreaking EV transformed the auto industry—and how it challenged CR to rethink how we test and rate vehicles

Link: https://www.consumerreports.org

What Tesla has achieved in the past ten years is just phenomenal. Not merging or being taken over by a traditional automaker in itself is a big feat.

Obviously there's a lot of scope for improvement in many areas. Look at their car launches and their best sellers at the respective time periods.

Model S - 2012
Model X - 2015
Model 3 - 2017
Model Y - 2020

Tesla can't get away for long with a wafer thin model line up. The Roadster and Cybertruck are known for delays these days than anything else.

Traditional automakers have caught up and are having a more rounded EV lineup that appeals to a wider audience.

[benbsb29]

I had a chance to test drive the Standard variant Model 3, and came back impressed. This wasn't my first time driving an EV, but it I was definitely better informed this time, as opposed to the Jaguar iPace I drove in the past.

As a city runabout with the odd longer trip thrown in, the Model 3 is a great option as a second car.



The sales figures are not at all surprising, and here in Australia the wait period for the Model 3 is 10-12 months. Continuing on the success of the Model 3, the Model Y is sure to break more records.

[arun_m5]

Originally Posted by GTO

Toyota India & Honda India have been extremely lethargic with their global portfolio. Sad really, because they have such wonderful products sold internationally.

I fully agree, the GR Yaris / GR Corolla are just absolute beasts and so is the Civic Type R and the Accord 2.0 Turbo Sport, these cars on Indian roads will really put some of the big German brands (VW) to shame as the engines / drivetrains in these cars are objectively superior to the products from the Germans on so many different levels. It's sad that such enthusiast products aren't being offered here even in limited numbers. I for one drove the Accord 2.0 Turbo and was absolutely blown away by its response, agility, quality and features. It stands head and shoulders above German cars not just in its class but beyond it.

Hope the market evolves to a point where such vehicles are imported and launched in India in tandem with global markets.

[LaRoca]

"I wonder what contributes to it the most. Import taxes? Manufacturer laziness? India being heavily price-sensitive?"

Manufacturer laziness can be ruled out as the RAV4 starts at about 31k USD in Florida, which is roughly Rs. 24L here. Even at that price point, it would do wonders in India, considering its a Toyota.

The culprit here is the Indian Government with its archaic taxation policy for automobiles.

Reforming and restructuring these taxes can not only be beneficial for our ailing automobile industry, but for the GoI as well as more sales would net more income in the form of taxes.

[mchandra13]

Base model 3 costs $47k and model Y costs $66k in the US. Thats roughly 37 Lakhs and 50 Lakhs in INR excluding GST and all other taxes. Even in US these are luxury car prices when you compare with a base Lexus RX 350 SUV starting at $45k and a 7 seater Acura MDX starting at $49k. A BMW x3 starts at $44k and Merc GLA starts even cheaper at $35k. These are all luxury SUVs I am comparing with an EV sedan. With that pricing and with an average wait time of any where from 3 - 12 months in most parts of the world, where its available, selling 500k vehicles in a year is phenomenal, especially when you compare this number with the numbers of aforementioned luxury SUVs.
Tesla is the iPhone of EVs. None of the current EVs in the market match its reliability and finesse. While I dont own a Model 3 myself, I have been car pooling in a Model 3 for over an year and I can tell that practicality of the controls in the car in real time and the performance of the semi autonomous driving mode in start stop traffic is very impressive. However, while the mileage of base Model 3 is rated at 267 miles per charge, it is subject to vagaries of traffic, weather etc. We have continuously seen that with traffic and hot weather conditions, single charge tops out at 210-220 miles.

Having said that, Toyota has been the darling of the masses in US and Europe for decades now and one or the other model of Toyota have been topping this list for many years. Being the world's largest automobile manufacturer and being part of Fortune 500 global top 10, Toyota has been a vocal opponent of plug-in EVs(surprising given that they were the first to launch an all electric plug-in EV with NiMH batteries in Rav 4 way back in 2002) and have largely focused on hybrids and hydrogen powered EVs so far. some amount of that reluctance can be understood from the fact that they have 4 models in the top 10 selling models worldwide which contribute to roughly 50% of the volume of the top 10 models.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by mchandra13

Toyota has been a vocal opponent of plug-in EVs(surprising given that they were the first to launch an all electric plug-in EV with NiMH batteries in Rav 4 way back in 2002)

The Tesla Fremont factory used to be a Toyota factory. (New United Motor factory). In 2012 the second generation Toyota Rav4 EV was released with a Tesla battery and a Tesla motor for ~$40k with a 50KWh battery. It had decent demand - which scared Toyota into abandoning the whole thing.