Tesla Model Y beats Toyota Corolla to become the world’s best-selling car in Q1 2023

Tesla Model Y has topped the global car sales chart in the first quarter of 2023 according to automotive business intelligence company, JATO Dynamics. Based on data that was compiled from 53 markets all over the world, JATO also said this is the first time that an all-electric model has overcome cars with internal combustion engines in terms of sales.

With more than 260,000 units sold across the world, Model Y apparently managed to beat Toyota Corolla although the margin was not that big at just under 11,000 between the two vehicles. Furthermore, Hilux, RAV4, and Camry are also part of the Q1 world’s top 5 best-selling vehicles which showed Toyota’s dominance over the global automotive market even though the Tesla compact crossover SUV is the new king of the hill.

Of course, one may argue that Model Y managed to reach the top of the chart despite not being widely available throughout the world, unlike the other four Toyota vehicles in the chart. That being said though, Tesla has implemented several price cuts earlier this year in key markets throughout the world may have helped Model Y leap over these Toyotas.

First introduced in 2019, the Model Y is the latest release in Tesla’s line-up and its lineage can be traced back to the Model 3 sedan as they share around 75% of their parts together. Alongside a top speed of 217km/h, the base variant has a rear-wheel drive setup and a 60kWh battery that allows it to travel up to 455km according to the WLTP standard.

There is also the Long Range variant that features dual motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup and with the help of a bigger 75kWh battery, it can travel much longer at up to 533km. Customers who prefer to have a higher top speed can opt for the Performance variant that can travel at up to 250km/h but at the expense of the maximum travel distance that would be reduced to 514km.

In Southeast Asia, the Model Y is currently available in Thailand with a starting price of THB1,959,000 (~RM259,680) while the EV is also available in Singapore from SGD87,990 (~RM299,510) onwards. It remains to be seen whether Tesla is going to release Model Y into our market once the company finish setting up its operation in Malaysia but the chances are rather high since it is still available in right-hand drive as opposed to the Model S and X that are no longer being produced in such setup.

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