Tesla captures U.S. luxury crown with nearly 500,000 units
For 2022, Tesla sold an estimated 491,000 vehicles in the US. That was followed by BMW at 332,388 vehicles. After that was Mercedes-Benz with 286,764 vehicles, Lexus with 285,704 vehicles, Audi with 186,875 vehicles, Cadillac with 134,726 vehicles, Acura with 102,306, and rounding out the top eight was Volvo with 102,038 vehicles sold.
Overall, luxury vehicle sales dipped in 2022, and the broader market also declined about eight percent.
That 491,000 vehicles sold by Tesla represents a 44 percent increase in sales over the year before. AutoNews also reports that the automaker crossed 1 million deliveries globally.
An analyst for J.D. Power says that the paradigm has shifted in favor of electric cars in the luxury segment.
“Not only do luxury buyers want EVs, but the one that only sells EV is now the sales leader,” Tyson Jominy told Automotive News. “If you want to be at the top of the luxury segment, you’ve got to beat Tesla, and you’ve got to do it with EVs.
Making the accomplishment even more impressive is that Tesla increased their sales 56% while overall sales in the US luxury segment dropped by 8%.
After being bested by just 23,244 vehicles in 2021, Tesla grabbed the luxury sales throne from BMW.
Mercedes delivered 286,764 luxury vehicles in 2022, an increase of 3.9 percent. It was one of just four major luxury brands, along with Tesla, Cadillac and Genesis, to post sales gains last year.
Mercedes’ fourth-quarter deliveries surged 21 percent, fueled by the launch of three EQ all-electric models at the end of 2022.
The brand also focused on driving sales of high-end models, such as the S-Class and AMG, which accounted for 29 percent of deliveries.
“That was very positive on the profitability levels, for us and for our dealers,” Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dimitris Psillakis told Automotive News.
Tight new-vehicle supplies squeezed Lexus last year. The Japanese brand delivered 258,704 vehicles last year, a 15 percent slide from 2021, enough for No. 4.
At times midyear, Lexus’ vehicle supply on dealer lots was measured in hours, not days, according to monthly inventory reports.
“On average, there is probably about a three-month wait” for new Lexus vehicles, depending on model, brand boss Dejuan Ross said, noting wait times can range from two months to “over 18 months” for the LX.
Swedish automaker Volvo’s U.S. sales slid 16 percent last year to 102,038. Volvo cited supply chain challenges and production slowdowns caused by component shortages and COVID-related lockdowns in China.
Volvo’s EV sales surged last year as the automaker seeks to go all-electric by 2023. In 2022, the brand’s Recharge models — vehicles with fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrains — accounted for 27.4 percent of sales, with BEVs at 7.2 percent, up 22.3 and 14.3 percent, respectively.
