More customers in Europe opted for a Tesla Model S last year, with the American electric car beating traditional luxury brands like Mercedes and BMW in their home turf.
While the Tesla Model S has been selling more examples than Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series in the US for some years now, the same happens for the first time in Europe, Automotive News reports.
Sales of the Tesla Model S in Europe have increased by 30 percent, with 16,132 cars sold in 2017. Mercedes sold 13,359 S-Classes for the same year, an increase of 3 percent. BMW sold 11,735 7-Series models, a 13 percent decrease over 2016.
In the US, Tesla’s Model S sales were up by nine percent last year to 28,800 cars, beating rivals like the Cadillac XTS (16,275 units) and the Mercedes S-Class (15,888 units).
Even the Model X is gaining traction on the European sales charts, as it managed to sell 12,000 units last year, which is about the same as the Porsche Cayenne and nearly 2,000 cars more than the BMW X6.
“This is an alarm for the traditional automakers such as Mercedes. It says a smaller but smarter brand such as Tesla can beat them at home,” said Felipe Munoz, an analyst with JATO Dynamics.
Munoz added that European automakers need to respond faster to their customers’ interest in electrification as it seems that the traditional automotive industry “can’t deliver on time”.
Jaguar is planning to unveil the production version of the I-Pace electric SUV on March 1, ahead of the model’s public premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. Audi will follow in August with the introduction of the e-tron Quattro SUV while later this year Porsche will reveal the Mission E electric performance sedan.
