Tesla Model S

The first plug-in car was introduced in the United States six year ago and since their introduction, the 2016 sales were the highest. At the top of the list of the achievements, plug-in electric car sales totaled 157,181 last year. This was an all-time high, a figure that went up by 37.6% from 2015s sales that were 114,248. Sales for 2014 were 123,347, 24.7% less than the 2016 sales. The previous highest sales records had been those of 2014. Hence, 157,181 is such a healthy number to add to 570,187 cumulative total number of plug-in electric cars sold in the United States since 2008.

Monthly Breakdown

Monthly analysis shows that the strong results were largely contributed by December sales. The month recorded an all-time highest of 23,288 plug-in electric car sales. This was up from the former record held by September 2016 of 16,069 sales. Consequently, the market share for 2016 rose to 0.90%, with battery electric comprising of 0.48% and plug-in hybrids contributing to 0.42%. This was a huge improvement from the year 2015 where the market share for plug-in electric vehicle was 0.66% and 0.75% in 2014. As predicted, the market share for December 2016 hit the highest record of 1.39%. Plug-in hybrid comprised of 0.78%, while the battery electrics contributed to 0.61%. September, the prior-record month had 1.12% market share for plug-in electric vehicles.

What’s Selling?

Regarding the best sellers, Tesla’s Model S was at the top of the list for a second consecutive year. There were 29,156 units of Model S delivered, with about 5,300 accounting for December only. The model outdid the revamped Chevrolet Volt, whose December sales were 3,691 adding up to a total of 24,739 units for 2016. At the third place was Tesla’s Model X, which recorded 18,028 sales, with December sales being about 3,300 units. This clearly shows the strength that Tesla has, regardless of having higher prices for its vehicles in comparison to other models. Ford’s Fusion Energi took the fourth place with its yearly sales totaling 15,938 units. Nissan Leaf recorded 14,006 sales. Overall cumulative figures show that Chevy Volt is at the top with a total of 113,489 units. These units are close to 10,000 more compared to the Leaf, with both cars introduced in 2010. Currently, there are 17 plug-in hybrid and 13 battery electric cars sold in the United States. This is in comparison to hybrid electric cars, which are 33. The year 2016 also saw remarkable sales in conventional crossovers, SUVs, and trucks.