Tesla vehicles in service increased 33 percent in the U.S. in the first nine months of 2022. While the fast-growing electric-vehicle specialist is dominating luxury sales this year, it doesn't yet rank in the top 10 among manufacturers of luxury vehicles in operation in the U.S., according to Experian data hosted in the Automotive News Research & Data Center.
Tesla ranks 10th among luxury brands by vehicles in operation with 1.4 million. That list is led by Lexus at 5.2 million, BMW at 5.1 million and Mercedes-Benz at 4.9 million. Jaguar and Land Rover both rank outside the top 10 brands, but combined under Tata Motors, they take the 10th spot among luxury manufacturers.
As a brand, Tesla has ruled U.S. luxury registrations in 2022, surpassing BMW, which was No. 1 in 2021.
While Tesla's Model Y has become the most-popular new luxury model in the U.S. with registrations through October, jumping almost 32 percent to 178,506, a recent S&P Global Mobility study shows the EV maker is giving up market share to other automakers, such as Ford and Hyundai, which can offer similar EVs for lower prices.
General Motors, which was No. 1 in U.S. sales for 90 years until losing the crown in 2021, is the clear leader among manufacturers of light vehicles in operation with 60.3 million. Ford and Toyota round out the top three with 46.2 million and 41.8 million, respectively. These numbers are little changed from a year earlier. GM vehicles in operation decreased by 1.5 percent from a year earlier, while Ford decreased by less than 1 percent and Toyota increased by just under 2 percent since 2021.
Tesla went from 910,045 vehicles in operation as of third quarter 2021 to 1,356,203 vehicles in operation in third quarter 2022, a 32.9 percent increase.
Three brands have a stronghold over the top spots for all vehicles in operation in the U.S. as of the third quarter, according to the data center.
Ford is the most common brand with 43 million Ford vehicles on U.S. roads. Chevrolet and Toyota trail close behind, with 39.4 million and 35.8 million vehicles, respectively. The fourth spot drops by more than 10 million vehicles to Honda at 23.9 million vehicles in operation.
