Tesla released the company’s fourth quarter and full-year performance report for 2023. Surprisingly, the sales of its two flagship models, Model S and Model X, hit a five-year high. Breaking the previous stagnant decline.
Overall, Tesla achieved its production and delivery target of 1.8 million vehicles in 2023. Model 3 and Model Y remain the main sales drivers, accounting for more than 90% of full-year sales.
Notably, the Model S and Model X were lumped into the “Other Vehicles” category in the fourth quarter, along with the Cybertruck, which began first deliveries in late November but has seen negligible sales. Tesla likely delivered fewer than 100 Cybertrucks in November and December, but specific numbers have not been released.
Excluding the Cybertruck, Model S and Model X sold a combined 22,969 units in the fourth quarter of 2023, the highest quarterly sales since 2019 and a five-year high.
It is noticed that in the first quarter of 2021, sales of Model S and Model X were as low as 2,000 units. At that time, Tesla was conducting major upgrades to these two models. In the second quarter of 2023, its sales reached 19,225 vehicles, a recent peak.
In recent years, the share of Model S and Model X in Tesla’s overall sales has declined. CEO Elon Musk said in 2019 that continuing to produce these two cars was more of a sentiment.
“Quite frankly, they’re expensive and low-volume. We continue to produce them more for sentimentality than for any other reason. Their importance to the future is minimal,” Elon Musk said at the time , “But they’re still great cars. The Model S, which MotorTrend named the best car ever, especially the new model, features variable damping suspension, a hospital operating room-grade air purification system, and a Raven powertrain that makes it “To be one of the fastest accelerating cars in the world, to drive it so easily, it’s like driving a Superman car, to have impeccable safety features, it’s an absolutely amazing vehicle.”
The reason for the rebound in sales of Model S and Model X is unclear. Some analysts believe that it may be due to the price reduction strategy and the benefits of the tax credit policy for the Model
