It was an obvious omission in the VFACTS top sellers list for April after many months proving that electric cars are desired by new car buyers. It was in the top five for two months and then Tesla disappeared as Toyota ramped up supply of its fleet favourite RAV4 hybrid.
In February 2024, the Tesla Model 3 was the third most popular new car behind the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux which have dominated the new car sales charts for several years. In March 2024, the Model Y swapped with the Model 3 for third place while the Hilux slipped to fourth because of the increase in arrivals of the Toyota RAV4.
However in April, Toyota flexed its production muscle and pumped fleet and private buyers with RAV4 deliveries making it the top selling new car in April by outselling the Hilux and Ranger.
While Tesla sales volume was down in April, Ford was able to deliver significantly more Everest Large SUVs and Isuzu UTE continued to punch above its weight class with an increase in D-MAX ute deliveries. Both of these vehicles keep Tesla from claiming a top five spot again.
The decline Tesla in deliveries during April also impacted the total sales of electric cars which had been remaining strong in 2024. Sales of electric cars in April fell to 6,194 units after hitting 10,000+ for two months in a row.
Overall new car sales in 2024 continue to rise and year-to-date deliveries are 14.4% higher than the record that was set in 2023. Supply chain disruptions continue to impact sales of individual models so expect more fluctuations in during the next few months and a pause in the record breaking run in May because May 2023 was a stellar month (105,694 units sold) which is unlikely to be repeated.
