Tesla beats Toyota for the world's most popular vehicle as Model Y becomes the most American passenger car

The preliminary results of the global vehicle sales reports by model have now morphed into an official confirmation that Tesla Model Y is the world's most popular car.

While the JATO Dynamics report in January only hinted that this might be the case as the numbers continued to pour in, the Model Y has now officially knocked Toyota off the proverbial perch it has been occupying for a good while.

Across 150 world markets, The Tesla Model Y logged 1.223 million sales in 2023, a 64% bump over its previous result.

The Toyota RAV4 SUV is next with 1.075 million units, but, among the Corollas, Camry, and Hiluxes of this world, Toyota has 5 bestselling models in the world's top 10 ranking.

Still, Tesla is the only automaker with another car in the bestseller ranking, as the Model 3 occupies the honorable 10th place with 508,000 units sold.

Besides the world's top-selling car for 2023, the Model Y just earned the title of the most American vehicle in 2024, too.

The Austin-made Model Y, in particular, swept the 2024 American-Made Index for a third year in a row. It is not only assembled in the US by American workers, but its batteries, chassis, and drivetrain are also made here with predominantly North American parts.

The Model Y seems to be riding high on the world's insatiable demand for SUVs, which were the most popular category with nearly 45% of the total. For the first time, Chinese vehicles sold more than American brands, too, as sales in emerging economies surpassed those in the US or Europe.

Given that 2023 was the last year for EV incentives in many important for Tesla markets, the Model Y may not stay the world's most popular vehicle for long, yet being the first EV at the top still makes history for Tesla.

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