The Tesla Model Y electric SUV was the best-selling vehicle on planet Earth in the first quarter of 2023. According to JATO Dynamics, a consulting firm that serves the auto industry, Tesla’s least-expensive SUV took the title thanks to a huge sales push in China.
Tesla does not break down its sales by region, but JATO Dynamics estimates that the company sold about 94,000 Model Y SUVs in China in the first three months of 2023, compared to fewer than 84,000 in the U.S. and about 71,000 in Europe.
Reuters reports that the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Hilux (a midsize pickup truck not sold in the U.S.), Toyota RAV4, and Toyota Camry rounded out the top five.
Toyota still maintains the global sales title. An earlier JATO Dynamics report found that five of the planet’s 10 best-selling vehicles in 2022 were Toyota products. The Model Y sat in third place globally last year.
Tesla has aggressively cut prices on the Model Y and Model 3 sedan this year, triggering a price war and bringing down the cost of the average electric vehicle (EV).
Kelley Blue Book parent company Cox Automotive reports that the price of the average EV has fallen more than $10,000 in the past year, to just over $55,000.
