Tesla still the top premium car brand in the US, outsold BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in Q1 2022

Tesla still the top premium car brand in the US, outsold BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in Q1 2022

According to new vehicle registration data from Experian (via Automotive News), electric vehicles accounted for a significant portion of the premium/luxury car segment in the United States during the first quarter of 2022.

At the very top is Tesla, which saw a year-on-year improvement of 59% to deliver 113,882 vehicles in Q1 2022. The EV maker’s result meant it commanded a 21.8% share of the 521,343 total vehicles (down 12% from Q1 2021) sold in the specific segment during the first three months of this year.

Meanwhile, 33,400 units behind Tesla is BMW, which managed to deliver 80,482 cars, including non-EVs. The German brand is looking to claim the luxury automaker crown from Tesla this year after coming in second in 2021, but the Q1 2022 numbers show that the gap between the two is widening. During the first two months of this year, Tesla sold 71,250 vehicles compared to BMW’s 54,210 vehicles.

Tesla still the top premium car brand in the US, outsold BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in Q1 2022

Lexus is currently in third place with 66,907 units, followed by Mercedes-Benz with 60,632 units. Beyond that are car brands that have yet to crack the 40,000-unit mark, including Audi (37,566 units), Cadillac (29,840 units), Volvo (23,513 units), Lincoln (19,977 units), Land Rover (15,581 units), Porsche (13,262 units), Genesis (12,549 units), Infiniti (11,740 units), Alfa Romeo (3,542 units) and rounding off the list is Jaguar with 2,610 units.

The report also pointed out that almost all brands were faced with supply issues that affected deliveries, except for Tesla and Genesis – the latter recorded a year-on-year increase of 53%. Only Tesla exclusively sells EVs, with the rest offering a variety of internal combustion engine, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric cars.

On electrified cars, in Q1, Audi delivered 3,252 EVs, while Volvo sold 6,018 PHEV and EVs. Mercedes-Benz delivered 2,091 units of the EQS during the period to beat the Porsche Taycan that saw just 1,925 deliveries. InsideEVs reports that BMW will ramp up deliveries of its electrified models moving forward, as it has only sold 347 units of the iX and just 13 units of the i3 and i8. The list does not include brands like Lucid (360 units) and Rivian (1,227 units).

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • Lanhb on May 26, 2022 at 12:59 pm

    Outsold partly due to available infrastructure and support services for EV, as well as the cost of owning one, maybe.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • yawnz on May 26, 2022 at 4:49 pm

    Only Tesla consider themselves premium car brand, similar to Mazda, but customers and the big 3 German brands do not consider them a worthy competitor. Tesla only layak to fight with VW in Europa League while the German 3 are in Champions League.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 3
  • bieight8 on May 26, 2022 at 6:11 pm

    Tesla is a premium brand???

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Premium when it comes to the price, but it’s Tesla really premium? I don’t think so …

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • David Ryder on May 27, 2022 at 11:11 pm

      The definition of premium beyond just physical. On Tesla definition, built quality including tech quality. It’s 2022 now dude

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required