Tesla has shipped more than 10,000 electric cars to Australia since 2014, and is still selling double that of all other car makers combined in 2020, new data has revealed.
Of those 10,000, 30% were shipped in 2020, and of that 30% (2,949 to be exact), nine out of 10 were Model 3 electric sedans. The figures highlight Tesla’s dominance in the Australian market in a year where less than 5,000 electric vehicles in total have been sold.
The Californian car maker is the only member of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries that does not report local sales figures to the auto sales list Vfacts, but new figures shared to The Driven by sources indicate that Tesla has outdone other car makers by a factor of two to one.
Adding to previous sales since 2014, there have now been 10,051 Tesla electric cars shipped to Australia. While a small number of these would be held by Tesla for showrooms and media, the majority are for private buyers.
The Model 3 now accounts for just a little over half of all vehicles shipped here over the years, and the overwhelming majority of Tesla sales in the past 15 months since it was introduced to Australia.
And while compared to the broader market these numbers are small, it indicates the huge impact the Model 3 has had on the local EV market, if not the auto market itself.
The figures also indicate a possible reason that Tesla has still not released the Model Y order page for Australia: In 2018, sales of the Tesla Model S and Model X dipped, possibly because consumers put their hands in pockets for Model 3 deposits, facing a long wait until its arrival in 2019.
Official figures for total 2020 EV sales by other car makers will not be delivered until early January, but the final outcome for EV sales in Australia is clear – Tesla still sits atop the throne.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model 3 and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.