Tesla (TSLA) sales surge in home market, thanks to Model Y

Tesla’s record quarter in Q4 2020 was helped by strong performance in the US, especially in California, according to new registration data.

Tesla sales in California

California is an important market for Tesla. Obviously, it’s the automaker’s home market and home to its main factory, but it’s also the biggest market for electric vehicles in the country with some generous incentives.

In Q2 2020, Tesla’s sales were unsurprisingly nearly halved in California during the beginning of the pandemic.

Tesla started to pick things up in Q3 and reached a new global delivery record, which California contributed to with over 16,000 vehicles – about twice as many vehicles as last quarter.

Now Tesla is keeping the momentum going in its home market in the fourth quarter.

Tesla Q2 2020 deliveries in California

Based on new registration data released by Cross-Sell, Tesla sold over 22,000 electric vehicles in California in Q4, contributing to its new record global deliveries of 180,000 vehicles in the quarter.

At around 11,400 units, Model Y accounted for more than half of Tesla’s deliveries in California, according to the data.

Model 3 sales were down, as the Model Y has been diverting some demand from the electric sedan.

Also, Tesla started the rollout of the 2021 Model 3 during the fourth quarter, which could have affected the sales performance of the electric vehicle.

Tesla sales in the US

Cross-Sell also releases data about Tesla’s sales in other states, but registration data are only available in 23 states.

Based on the 23 states, Tesla delivered at least 44,749 electric cars in the US in Q4 – making it one of its most important markets. Again, Model Y accounted for roughly half of those deliveries.