Tesla Sold More Than 25,000 Model 3 Sedans in December 2018: Report
Tesla’s least expensive model is claimed to have had the best single-month sales of any electric vehicle—ever.
Sales of Tesla's compact Model 3 electric sedan have reportedly exceeded 25,000 units for the month of December 2018, making it the best-selling EV in America during any given month.
The approximate number of sales in the United States is estimated by Inside EVs to be 25,250, which states that it uses VIN numbers and delivery information sourced from Tesla customers to determine its estimates with a claimed accuracy within four percent. If correct, these figures would beat the claimed previous best single-month sales for the model, which reportedly moved 22,250 units in September.
Tesla, who doesn't believe in releasing monthly or market-specific vehicle sales like all other automakers, only specifies global numbers quarterly. Tesla posted its 2018 Q4 results on Wednesday, announcing it had built 61,394 Model 3s in Q4, and 145,846 in 2018. Tesla declined to comment on its U.S. market Q4 performance when contacted by The Drive.
The automaker mounted a year-end delivery push to get customers their cars to cash in on the $7,500 federal tax credit, which may have buoyed the company's December performance. Eligibility for the full $7,500 expired on January 1, dipping to $3,750, though customers who didn't receive their cars by the end of 2018 aren't up creeks sans paddles.
The $3,750 credit will still be available for Tesla customers throughout Q1 and Q2 of 2019, and Tesla has made an effort to counteract its diminishing tax credit eligibility by slashing $2,000 from the prices of all its cars, though the expiration of the full tax credit has some investors worried. Tesla stock value plummeted 8.7 percent on Wednesday, though Tesla hopes its alterations to its board management (controversial as they may be) will lure investors and their much-needed cash back to the company.
