Tesla beats Audi in global sales for the first time
(January 14, 2025) Tesla overtook Audi, one of Germany’s most prized premium car brands, last year despite selling fewer vehicles than expected. Audi sold 1.67 million vehicles in 2024, down 12 percent from a year earlier. Audi’s struggle with intensifying competition in Europe and China and weak demand for its electric models dropped the brand behind Elon Musk’s Tesla, which delivered 1.79 million vehicles last year, according to Bloomberg News.
Tesla’s year wasn’t without issues. The U.S. company posted its first annual deliveries decline in over a decade and only narrowly retained its lead over China’s BYD Co. as the top seller of fully electric vehicles.
But Tesla’s rapid expansion in the preceding few years positioned the company to take advantage of any slip-ups by incumbents. Its Model Y SUV ranks among the world’s best-selling cars and is getting a facelift this year.
Germany’s automakers, meanwhile, are contending with tepid demand for luxury cars in China, where a recovery remains uncertain and local automakers are pushing further upmarket.
In Europe, EV sales are below expectations after several countries cut subsidies. The problems led to a wave of profit warnings last year, including from Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.