With production numbers going up, as well as the number of units delivered, the Tesla Model 3 achieved an important feat last July in the North American market, having entered the Top 20 best-selling models. If we take pickups and SUVs out of the equation, the Model 3 is in the Top 10 best-selling cars.
Inside EVs estimates that around 14,250 units were delivered in July, while Tesla's estimated numbers (the brand only provides certain numbers per quarter) put a figure between 13,800 and 14,000 units.
Regardless of the value considered, the Tesla Model 3 in the US sold more than the combined total sales of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and other saloons in the segment. Impressive…
Tesla herself claims that the Model 3, with these numbers, achieved a 52% share of the segment , which is, at all levels, overwhelming. Furthermore, considering that this is a 100% electric model, and the access version, the much advertised Model 3 for $35,000, hasn't even started going on sale yet.
What cars do customers trade in for a Tesla Model 3?
As the numbers grow, Tesla has released new data about its new customers, in particular about the most common cars given up for the Model 3 switch, and some models on the list are surprising. The list presented does not respect any specific order, and Tesla did not include customers who exchanged another Tesla for the Model 3:
- BMW 3 Series
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Nissan Leaf
- Toyota Prius
If the Toyota Prius (hybrid) and the Nissan Leaf (electric) are no surprise there — models with “green” credentials, where the Model 3 fits, appearing as the “next step”, either in capacity or also as a car (positioning) — as for the two Honda models and the BMW 3 Series give food for thought.
In the case of Hondas — Civic and Accord are two of its best-selling models in the US — it reveals that the Tesla Model 3's appeal transcends categorization or segment. THE civic there's a segment below the Model 3, and as we've already mentioned, the $35,000 Model 3 isn't available yet. It is perhaps the most telling piece of evidence that Elon Musk's dream of democratizing the electric car seems to be perfectly within reach when people trade the affordable Civic for a Model 3 with an average transaction price of $50,000.
In case of BMW 3 Series , is also quite revealing, as the typical US premium saloon customer was one of Musk's intended targets. The Model S had already managed to “steal” customers from the traditional customer of the German trio, and the Model 3 seems to achieve the same in the segments below. If already “steals” customers in the segment below the Series 3, all fears on the part of the German competition seem to be confirmed.
According to an Audi executive, speaking to Green Car Reports, the task of entering into force in electric cars is also due to the fact that Tesla has taken away their reputation as innovators, a reputation that could be decisive at the time to choose the next premium car.
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It's just a month's result, and in the coming months we'll see similar results as Tesla ramps up production and fills the hundreds of thousands of orders it still has backlog. Will it be sustainable in the long term?