We will start by saying that many people, including those on the Tesla team, do not consider their cars as luxury vehicles, but that is not the point here.
Tesla calls its cars “premium”, as they are more expensive than most competing vehicles and arguably more “premium” than many conventional non-luxury cars. However, Tesla cars are classified in the luxury category by automotive review sites, as well as almost all automotive ratings and awards.
Despite the fact that Tesla cars are not as beautiful on the inside as cars made by German luxury brands, Tesla is causing great success in the segment on our coast. In fact, Tesla has just overtaken Audi as the fourth largest luxury car brand in the U.S. based on 2020 registration data. Although Tesla is still behind the top three luxury carmakers in the United States, it does not have to go too far to reach and surpass your rivals.
Tesla registered about 200,500 cars in the United States in 2020. Meanwhile, Audi registered about 183,600. In 2019, Audi registered almost 50,000 more vehicles in the U.S. than Tesla.
The three largest luxury car manufacturers in the USA by 2020, registration data are BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, in that order. According to details of Experian automotive research and data center, which was shared by Automotive News, 2020 luxury vehicle registration data for the top five luxury brands in the U.S. is as follows:
- BMW: 287,259
- Lexus: 271,384
- Mercedes-Benz *: 265,600
- Tesla: 200,561
- Audi: 183,594
* Automotive News points out that Sprinter and Metris data has been excluded from the above records.
Automotive News highlights that the fact that Tesla is only 65,000 records behind Mercedes-Benz is quite attractive. This is especially true because Tesla only sells EVs. These other companies have the advantage of including gas-powered cars in the registration data. ANDexecutive analyst for Autotrader said Automotive News:
“Tesla was the first to go all-in on EVs; it really was the only game in town. Innovation and technology coupled with sophistication is a winning combination.”
Whether or not you believe Tesla deserves to be called a luxury car maker, it doesn’t matter. The fact that the relatively new US-based electric carmaker is gaining traction over legendary carmakers is compelling.