Even though the Model Y costs almost twice as much as popular Toyota cars, it has sold more this year.
The Tesla Model Y electric crossover was the best-selling car in the world in the first three months of this year, according to figures released on Friday by market research company JATO Dynamics.
The Model Y beat out Toyota’s RAV4 and Corolla models to become the world’s first all-electric car to be the best-selling car.
In the first three months of the year, 267,200 Model Ys were sold worldwide, compared to 256,400 Corollas and 214,700 RAV4s. Data showed a rise of about 69% from the year before.
Even though Tesla’s Model Y starts at $47,490, the Corolla costs $21,550, and the RAV4 costs $27,575, sales are rising.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, said he was sure the Model Y would be a hit even before it came out. In 2016, he said demand would be “in the 500k to 1 million units per year level.”
Experts say that this is a big step forward for Tesla. They also say that because competition among electric car automakers is still slow, Musk’s company can dominate the market.