Tesla’s two models emerged as the top-selling cars by a significant margin in California’s electric vehicle and overall vehicle sales so far this year. As a result, the American electric automaker surpassed the sales of longstanding King Toyota in Q2 2023.
Tesla’s presence is substantially boosting the battery-powered vehicles market shares to an unprecedented rate in California.
California leads EV adoption in the US
The state of California has long been leading the electric vehicle adoption in the United States owing to its more aggressive approach to promoting sustainable technologies.
The Musk-led automaker now has an annual production and selling capacity of millions of units, so it may soon saturate California’s automotive industry.
In fact, Tesla is continuously expanding not just in California but globally. According to California New Car Dealers Association’s (CNCDA) Q2 2023 California Auto Outlook report, Tesla had record-breaking results.
As mentioned, two models from Tesla’s S3XY lineup advanced as the top-selling vehicles in the state from January to June:
- Tesla Model 3: 41,718 units
- Tesla Model Y: 74,765 units
Toyota’s iconic Camry came in third with sales of 27,169 units. Meanwhile, the Toyota RAV4 followed it with 26,032 unit sales.
Notably, Tesla first beat Toyota in California in Q2 2023:
- Tesla: 69,212 units
- Toyota: 67,482 units
Toyota remains the top brand in California YTD
Despite the Tesla Model 3 and Y’s advancement as the most popular vehicles in California, Toyota remains the top-selling brand this year.
Nonetheless, Tesla is on track to catch up with just less than 10,000 units of difference. Moreover, the American automaker’s record-setting results are boosting California’s BEV market share to reach a new high of 21%.
As you can see in the graph above, BEV’s growth completely left hybrid and plug-in hybrids behind.
See Also:
- Tesla to replace Toyota as highest selling car brand in California
- Tesla is the most searched auto brand in the US, Google data shows
- The Tesla Way: Toyota turns to US EV-maker for manufacturing expertise
- California’s EV sales surpass the million mark, Tesla continues to dominate
- Tesla Model 3 price drops to $23k in California thanks to tax credits
Tesla’s significant advancement in California’s automotive market demonstrates Toyota’s slow approach to joining the electric vehicle shift. The data proves that the Japanese automaker has long dominated the state. However, its presence is now waning amid Tesla EVs’ prevalence.
Nonetheless, it would be exciting to see if Tesla can actually bridge the 10,000 units gap by the end of 2023.
