Tesla's early 2022 production is off to a solid start, according to data statistics, with new vehicle registrations beating German luxury powerhouse BMW, which led the segment last year. Tesla's modest all-electric portfolio has outperformed the entire German stable of combustion, hybrid, and electric vehicles combined, which is a significant feat.
The data shows vehicle registrations for January this year in the United States so far. Tesla registrations increased by 49 percent year over year in January, reaching 37,162 vehicles. BMW had an increase in registrations as well, but only to 30,563 new vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, which used to compete with BMW, isn't doing so well these days, with only 22,022 registrations for the month, which is even fewer than Lexus.
Because some vehicles are registered before delivery, when the transaction is complete, registrations in January do not directly mirror sales in January, producing a gap in the two sets of data. More detailed breakdowns will not be released until the conclusion of the quarter. The Tesla Model Y, Model 3, and Model S took the top three rankings for EV car registrations in January as well, with the Y and 3 accounting for 60% of new EVs sold that month. The Model X came in eighth place.
Tesla Model Y
The American luxury leader has been bouncing around recently, from Mercedes-Benz a few years ago to a recent dominant run by BMW that was nearly reversed by Tesla last year, though BMW finally prevailed. Last year, much of Tesla's gain or Mercedes' loss, depending on your perspective can be attributed to the continued chip scarcity. Tesla was able to partially avoid the issue by transferring some operations from individual microchips to software management. Tesla's large backlog of pre-orders is also a factor.
But still, Tesla's strong January seems like a big deal—BMW is already slipping for 2022, and the outlook is only getting worse. The ongoing parts shortages, which are plaguing most of the auto market right now, paired with pandemic surges and rising gas prices will make it tough for BMW to keep its crown, if Tesla keeps its pace. It would appear Tesla, funnily enough, has fewer roadblocks to selling its cars at the moment, despite a rocky past. Or, at least not the same problems. With registrations up almost by half so far this year, it doesn't seem like industry supply shortages are taking their toll. January has traditionally been a low-output month for Tesla, with the bulk of its registrations typically coming later in an operating year, so this is a particularly promising start for 2022 for the automaker.
Tesla Always Comes Up Trumps
We can largely thank Tesla for making electric vehicles exciting. From the original Roadster to the more practical and mass-market Model 3, Tesla hasn't missed a beat in creating vehicles that are quick, nimble, and technologically advanced. While other automakers will be flooding the market with high-performance EVs in the coming years, we'll always appreciate Tesla for beginning the charge.
It's not just thanks to Elon Musk for bringing Tesla to the world – he has being showing his substance in humanitarian efforts during the Tonga tsumani and more recently with support to Ukraine. Then just this week, Musk took to Twitter to challenge the Russian president to a single combat duel with Ukraine as the prize. Twitter went abuzz with memes and comments, and the Technoking actually got a response from a Russian minister. Elon always knows how to keep us driving, connected, and fully entertained.
