There is a chance that deliveries may officially exceed the 500,000 mark, as Tesla noted, these are the first numbers that can vary by 0.5 percent “or more”.
Tesla is still tiny compared to bigger brands. GM sold 7.7 million cars in its 2019 fiscal year, while luxury-driven BMW still managed to sell more than 2.5 million. For now, at least, it remains a niche compared to its more conventional rivals.
The company is still growing rapidly, however, and there is little doubt that Teslas are among the most common electric vehicles on the road. For contextual purposes, GM sold just over 14,000 Chevy Bolts to Americans in 2020 in the third quarter. While that gap is likely to narrow as EVs become popular, Tesla has a clear advantage.
Whether Tesla can preserve its momentum in 2021 is another question. He could get a boost from the planned start of production for Cybertruck later this year, not to mention updates like the Model S ‘Plaid’. The company added that Model Y numbers are expected to rise now that its Shanghai plant has started making the crossover. With the fabulous $ 25,000 Tesla still years away, it won’t be surprising if growth slows down as the company’s business matures – even if the expected recovery from the pandemic gets more people driving again.