Tesla Model Y beats Toyota Corolla and RAV4 to become the world's top selling vehicle just as Elon Musk predicted

While Tesla has made the Model Y slightly bigger than Toyota's popular RAV4, that's not the sole reason that its crossover just became the first electric car to top global vehicle sales. The world's bestselling Tesla Model Y moved 1.23 million units last year, followed by the RAV4 SUV with 1.07 million, and the venerable Toyota Corolla family with 1.01 million units.

Instead of being a surprise, however, the top vehicle spot reshuffle reflects another trend - towards SUVs and crossovers - and the move away from smaller cars and the sedan form factor. Even at Tesla, which sells only a handful of models, the bestselling one is a crossover, rather than the cheaper Model 3. Well, the new Model 3 Highland is not even all that cheap in the US since its newly minted Highland facelift doesn't qualify for the federal subsidies, while Model Y buyers now get the full $7,500 tax credit amount at the point of purchase.

This historic Tesla achievement was predicted by Elon Musk a few years back when he claimed after the Q1 2021 earnings call that the Model Y is on track to become the world's most popular vehicle "based on revenue in 2022 and possibly total units in 2023." That prediction turned out correct, even though at the time it had to battle Toyota Corolla's 1.5 million number.

The Model Y sales rode high on several key markets, including China where Tesla moved more units than in the US, but also Europe which clocked more than a quarter of a million Model Ys sold. Not only was the Model Y the first electric car to top the sales ranks in Europe, but it is also its first vehicle from a non-European brand to do so, even though it's assembled in Giga Berlin. In Tesla's strongholds like California, the Model Y managed to outsell the popular Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V SUVs combined, too.

Overall, it turned out that the Model Y is the perfect vehicle solution for many when it comes to specs and price, and it remains to be seen if its 2024 Juniper facelift which should be released in the summer will help Tesla make an EV the world's bestseller yet again.

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