by mikeryan on 5/26/23, 4:27 AM
One thing that EV's have an advantage of is the reduced footprint of their drivetrain. The primary bulk of an EV is the massive battery that usually spans the bottom of the car opening up space in the interior or the ubiquitous EV "frunk" this makes for a more spacious interior and the Y takes advantage of this well.
That being said it seems that 2023 is the year of the EV, my family is currently in the market for a new car and have been pleasantly surprised at the breadth of offerings.
I can't really make up my mind on whether the fact that the model Y is the "best selling model of car" is something to hang your hat on these days. It's a great metric, sure, but it's been in a somewhat limited market. On it's face I can see it's appeal - size, space, EV, extra seating - its NOT A MINIVAN. But it seems like a fairly easy moat to breach. One thing about the Corolla was it's build quality was top notch it was a solid, reliable car and it seems more and more lately this isn't a hallmark of Tesla. I wouldn't be surprised for the model Y to keep the mantle of "best selling model" - particularly because of Tesla's lead in its ability to manufacture electric cars and the surface appeal of the model Y - but I wouldn't be surprised if it lost this lead as well.
by jancsika on 5/26/23, 4:32 AM
Translation: luxury vehicles are the future of car sales.
Model Y is 2 times as expensive as a Corolla.
Plus you can go and find an older Corolla with 100k+ miles on it and pay perhaps $5k cash for it, then drive it for another 50-100k.
I don't see people in the service industry picking up a used Tesla, now or in the foreseeable future.
by jacurtis on 5/25/23, 10:17 PM
I've heard some auto analysts suggesting that Tesla's trick to drop their car prices was not necessarily an act of desperation, as much as an action of opportunity. While all other car manufacturers are upping prices and increasing lead times, Tesla is taking advantage of this by having vehicles available and lowering prices in order to gain market-share in a time when other manufacturers are expecting and preparing for slower sales.
If that was the strategy, then it looks like it is working exactly as planned.
by raincom on 5/26/23, 4:38 AM
Before Covid, one could buy Toyota vehicles 6% under MSRP. Today, Toyota dealers want $5K mark up fees, on top of MSRP, then all extra garbage, with 3 months wait time. If your family already owns an ICE vehicle, just buy Tesla Model Y as a second vehicle. These car companies and their dealers just try to screw customers with all hidden garbage.
by basisword on 5/25/23, 10:17 PM
I don’t get this to be honest. Had a couple of experiences as a passenger and now I actively avoid them (on Uber). The ride is absolutely awful. So rigid. Every bump on the road is felt, to the point I felt nauseated. They’re spacious, and maybe they’re nice to drive? But if I bought this without test driving it first, I would return it.
by Waterluvian on 5/26/23, 11:33 AM
Call me weird but what I want is a Corolla EV. No dashboard overhaul. No autonomy. No other “rethinks.”
by andrewmcwatters on 5/26/23, 4:03 AM
For people buying new cars, yeah I guess I understand that being true. America prefers SUVs, but it's an interesting statistic.
The Corolla is purchased by those who want an affordable sedan, as well as the affluent who don't want the unreliability of a German luxury car or a Tesla and are putting their money in other things like their home and marketable securities.
The Ford F-150 is a vehicle used widely by commercial organizations as well as American retail consumers who can afford one.
All of this leads me to think if you want to know what popular vehicle sales really are, I suspect you have to look at the used car market and normalize by model, removing years or generations to understand what the average consumer is really buying.
by Animats on 5/26/23, 4:29 AM
It's encouraging to note that most model Y cars ("standard range") use lithium iron phosphate batteries, which have far fewer problem with fires than lithium iron. Energy density per kilogram of lithium iron phosphate batteries is lower, but has been improving slowly. Tesla had to buy the technology from BYD.
I suspect that in a few years, batteries capable of thermal runaway will be prohibited. They're becoming unnecessary.
by cheeze on 5/26/23, 3:58 AM
As a cyclist, there isn't any car on the road that scares me more than these. The drivers are worse than aggressive truck drivers.
Given that it's the best selling car, maybe it's just that people are generally horrible at driving? At least in my area the drivers of these seem an order of magnitude more clueless than any others.
by glitchc on 5/26/23, 5:50 AM
Much of this reflects the chip shortage that Toyota is facing, and how difficult new Corollas are to actually come by. The typical wait time for a Corolla is now 1 year+ in major urban centers of Canada.
by danielmarkbruce on 5/26/23, 4:22 AM
Half of it is the buying process.
by xnx on 5/25/23, 10:35 PM
Seems a big part of this is Tesla's minimal and globally available product line (which I commend them for). Other automakers produce a huge number of variants within and between markets. That dilutes the sales of any single model.
by Xenoamorphous on 5/26/23, 6:02 AM
I’m really surprised about this. I live in the capital city of an European country (~50M people) and I don’t think I’ve seen even one, maybe it’s not sold here? I see a fair number of model 3 and a few S, though.
by ewgoforth on 5/26/23, 1:59 PM
by nymalt on 5/26/23, 11:06 AM
Reading comments here about Tesla Y. And my impression is that the build quality and everything got substantially better over the years.
by elkos on 5/26/23, 5:13 AM
Does this include pre-sale statements or finalized deliveries only? It is one thing to have a high number of corporate pre-order it is quite another to have cars on the road.
by synaesthesisx on 5/25/23, 10:46 PM
I bought one of these and love it - it’s the best vehicle I have ever owned. The supercharger network eliminates any range anxiety or dealing with slow or barely functional chargers. Yes, the spartan interior leaves a bit to be desired, but where it lacks in physical qualities it makes up for in continuously improving software & UX.
The experience of using it is a joy daily, simply put (and I’ve owned other EV’s previously).
I will be getting a Model X next.
by ChatGTP on 5/26/23, 4:08 AM
Imagine if Toyota would've just made a simple, but nicely build electric car 3-5 years ago. Pretty foolish mistake.
by terminatornet on 5/25/23, 10:36 PM
> There were 400 NTHSA recalls issued in 2022, impacting more than 25 million vehicles. Of those vehicles, Teslas scored four of the top five spots on the list, according to the price-tracking car search engine iSeeCars.com
teslas are also expected to have the highest number of recalls over a 30 year lifetime
https://www.autoweek.com/news/industry-news/a43625242/tesla-...
by ourmandave on 5/26/23, 10:40 AM
by tptacek on 5/25/23, 10:47 PM
This is largely due to China, right? It doesn't appear that Tesla is even close to this title in the US market.
by jeffrallen on 5/26/23, 7:27 AM
Then why the hell are they so expensive? I'd like to be all in on electric, but my car budget is 30k, why do they pile so much fancy crap on them? I want a go pedal, a stop pedal and a window crank. You can keep all the rest of the crap for the luxury cars.
by k8sToGo on 5/25/23, 10:18 PM
I am not considering them because they keep taking away more and more (hardware) features over the years. No parking sensors is an instant no buy for me. Already had horrible experiences with their vision based wiper automation.
by w10-1 on 5/26/23, 4:24 PM
ICE makers now face a huge risk of unsold inventory.
Imagine Toyota with even 2-3% unsold due to people wanting electric or keeping their old Toyota's that last forever.
Thus, they're stuck in a pattern of under-building that reduces demand due to the many alternatives - it could be a vicious cycle.
Couple that with access to China: Toyota not so much, but Tesla is allowed to sell there because it put a factory there and uses BYD batteries. That's another vicious cycle: dealing with the devil to access that market only empowers the devil.
So it has little to do with EV's or with the Tesla model Y.
by paganel on 5/26/23, 7:52 AM
A SUV is the best selling car of the year till now instead of a sedan and this is all done in order to fight "climate change". How can normal people can take this discourse as being serious anymore?
by ArtemZ on 5/26/23, 7:21 AM
I bought a used Mercury Grand Marquis 2009 in perfect condition one year ago and I don't see why would I want to part with it in the next 20 years or so. Grain leather interior that is not making any sounds on road bumps, no touchscreen bs, super smooth ride thanks to rear air suspension. Sure it can't accelerate as fast as an EV, but I just want have a relaxed pleasing experience, not accelerations. It's V8 also makes pleasing sounds when going uphill.
And I paid just 6k for it. I'd rather double the normal maintenance for it than buy a Tesla.
by 1letterunixname on 5/25/23, 10:48 PM
I'm not a fan of the S because it's too big.
The gull doors on the X are awkward.
The 3 is quite nice.
The problem I have with Teslas is R2R DRM. They're also still unaffordable in the US, which doesn't advance the elimination of ICEs.
by wodenokoto on 5/26/23, 4:52 AM
Any speculation why model Y is selling better than model 3?
by newaccount74 on 5/26/23, 4:10 AM
Since other car makers are trying to cover the market by diversifying their model lineup, this is hardly surprising. I mean, just take BMW, despite seemingly not taking EVs seriously at first, they already have more different EV models to choose from than Tesla. So even if BMW would overtake Tesla in total EV sales, the Model Y would probably still get to keep the "best selling car" title...
by globular-toast on 5/26/23, 11:16 AM
How depressing. The world's best-selling car is now a 2 tonne behemoth. 20 years ago I dreamed of us progressing and correcting some of the mistakes of the past. Since then we've only regressed further down the exact same paths as previous generations. I hold no hope for humanity going forward.
by raincom on 5/26/23, 5:28 AM
by shever73 on 5/26/23, 5:12 AM
Interesting statistics. In Ireland, VW just knocked Toyota off the top spot. I think Toyota being late to market with a full BEV might have something to do with it (yes, I know they now have the alphabet soup one whose name would score a lot in Scrabble but is, otherwise, utterly forgettable).
by diebeforei485 on 5/25/23, 9:52 PM
Congratulations to the Tesla team!
by atorodius on 5/27/23, 9:30 AM
Genuine Question: when I was in the US last year (NYC and New Orleans) I was surprised to see almost no electric cars at all (even in NYC it was like 5 Teslas in 1 week).. where are they? All in Californi?
by RickJWagner on 5/26/23, 11:49 AM
Truly stunning.
I remember a number of months back when people were discussing short-selling Tesla. I'm soooooo glad I don't play those kinds of games.
by tibbydudeza on 5/26/23, 7:11 AM
Chinese cars like Korean cars used to be joke - the new Haval SUV is cheaper and quality wise from the looks on par with my Hyundai SUV.
by Lolaccount on 5/26/23, 11:30 AM
Interesting ... the d0uche-mobile wins out in the end ...
Impressive technology but wouldn't be caught dead in it. It's a brand thing. Don't want to be associated with the E-kn0b.
If I was buying now, it would be from Hyundai.
However, living in the city, I can't justify either so I'll keep rolling in my 69 Beetle every couple of weeks.
Tip: save yourself a tonne of money and ... just don't buy a car if you don't need it.
by wisnoskij on 5/25/23, 10:48 PM
What is this article even talking about. I don't have to know a single thing about cars or their economics to know clearly some Chinese or Indian brand I have never heard of and could not pronounce if I had is outselling the Tesla by 1000 fold. I cannot even imagine how cheap you could make a car without all of our regulations, its probably like $250.
by HeartStrings on 5/26/23, 6:18 AM
What happens when you need to change the battery? Isn’t it extremely expensive?
by sharts on 5/26/23, 7:20 AM
And just how much tax incentives and government handouts have gone into making this headline happen? Seems like a lot of upward transfer of wealth for what is arguably marginal (if any) improvement to the environment or driver experience.
by Gordonjcp on 5/26/23, 10:00 AM
Given that they're so much more expensive than a Corolla, I'd expect the interiors to be less naff and plasticky.
Are all American cars that bad?
by sublinear on 5/26/23, 4:47 AM
I'd still much more gladly prefer the Toyota.
by bradknowles on 5/26/23, 4:03 AM
The more drivers you get in a particular model, the more clueless drivers you'll see in that model.
It's a form of survivor bias.