According to Automotive News Europe, American manufacturer Tesla has sold more Model S units than the European flagship sedans from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The Model S has outsold German rivals in the upper-sedan category in the U.S in previous years, but never in Europe.
“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 market researchers JATO Dynamics.
Sales of the Model S in Europe jumped 30 percent to 16,132 last year, according to JATO. Mercedes S class sales grew 3 percent to 13,359. BMW 7 Series had sales of 11,735, down 13 percent.
In the U.S., Model S sales rose 9 percent to 28,800 last year, outselling closest rivals, the Cadillac XTS, whose volume fell 27 percent to 16,275 and the S class, whose sales were down 16 percent to 15,888, according to Automotive News Data Center.
The Model X SUV from Tesla is also showing strong growth in Europe. Over 12,000 units were sold last year, same as the Porsche Cayenne, but 2,000 more than the BMW X6.
