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Tesla Model 3 Era Is Real: Sales Crush Toyota Prius

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Model 3 demonstrated again in August that it is the hottest EV in the U.S. -- ever -- and the traditional Prius hybrid sedan is fading.

Hot as in incandescent.

By our estimations, Tesla sold an epic 17,800 Model 3s in August. Shocked? Of course, that’s the highest ever for sales of a single plug-in electric car in any month, beating the old mark set by the…Model 3.

The Model 3 now stands alone as one atop the sales chart for the year with no other plug-in electric car capable of catching it. The YTD tally so far stands at 55,882. An untouchable figure.

--Tesla Model 3 Sales Hit Epic Volume In August, InsideEVs, September 5, 2018

August is significant because it confirms that Model 3 sales posted in July (14,250) was not a fluke.

And it signifies that we're witnessing the passing* of the hybrid-centric green car era. The traditional hybrid Toyota Prius sedan (non-plug-in) tallied 5,230 -- down 13.5% year to year -- and a fraction of the Prius hybrids sold back in 2012, when 21,111 Prius were sold in August of that year.

And the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius Prime could only muster sales of 2,071 in August in the U.S.  

  • Tesla Model 3 vs. Toyota Prius sedan sales August 2018:
    --Tesla Model 3 sedan: 17,800 (vs. less than 100 in August of 2017)
    --Toyota Prius sedan: 5,230 (vs. 21,111 sold in back August 2012 near peak)

General Motors did not fare much better -- at least compared to Tesla's blistering numbers -- in the U.S., racking up 3,050 Volt (plug-in hybrid) and Bolt (pure EV) sales -- though the GM number is an estimate since GM stopped releasing monthly totals.

Nissan Leaf sales totaled 1,315 in August (U.S.), also a tiny fraction of the Model 3's number. The BMW i3 registered a paltry 418 units sold in August.

Last month, Robin Ren, VP Worldwide Sales at Tesla, said during the Tesla earnings conference call that the Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf are two of the top five cars Model 3 buyers are trading in

Also: related news that is worth noting: Tesla's new president, automotive:

Jerome Guillen has been promoted to President, Automotive, reporting directly to me. In his new role, Jerome will oversee all automotive operations...Recently, Jerome played a critical role in ramping Model 3 production, leading what almost all thought was impossible: creation of an entire high-volume General Assembly line for Model 3 in a matter of weeks. 

--Elon Musk, Company Update, September 7, 2018

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NOTES:

*When the Toyota Prius hybrid reigned as the supreme green car, it racked up sales of over 200,000 annually in the U.S. (2013).

Toyota sold 5,058 RAV4 Hybrids in August 2018, off 1.4% year to year.

Credit: Toyota