Electric vehicle (EV) specialist Tesla has recorded its sixth straight month of deliveries dropping compared to last year, as a shocking month for the Model Y led to a near 50 per cent decrease year over year.
According to data published by the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), Tesla delivered 2649 vehicles to Australian customers in September, a 48.8 per cent decline on the 5177 deliveries it made in the same month a year ago.
This means Tesla’s year-on-year delivery figures have fallen in every month since April, though the brand’s figures haven’t again slumped to the same low as January (1107 deliveries) when the brand was impacted by quarantine delays.
| Month | Deliveries | YoY difference |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1107 | -66.6% |
| February | 5665 | +61.1% |
| March | 6017 | +68.2% |
| April | 2077 | -43.5% |
| May | 3567 | -20.3% |
| June | 4683 | -33.3% |
| July | 2592 | -12.9% |
| August | 2393 | -30.5% |
| September | 2649 | -48.8% |
| TOTAL* | 30,750 | -19.1% |
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The falloff in deliveries was largely driven by the Tesla Model Y, of which just 1498 examples were registered in September.
This was down 60.7 per cent on September 2023, when the electric SUV was Australia’s third best-selling vehicle overall, behind the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
While Tesla Model 3 deliveries also dropped, they declined by 15.7 per cent, on account of 1151 examples being registered compared to 1366 a year ago.
Year-to-date, Tesla deliveries in Australia stand at 30,750 examples to the end of September, representing a 19.1 per cent decline on the same nine-month period in 2023.
According to the EVC data, Tesla has delivered 14,997 Model Ys and 15,753 Model 3s, down 60.7 and 15.7 per cent, respectively on the same period last year.
While the Model 3 overtaking the Model Y for the top spot in Tesla’s lineup wasn’t reported at the time, the change occurred at the end of June.
At the time, Tesla was still reporting to the Federal Council of Automotive Industries through its monthly VFACTS report, which showed between January and June there were 12,516 Model Ys and 10,600 Model 3s delivered.
However, the EVC report from the same period showed 10,816 Model Y deliveries and 12,300 Model 3 deliveries.
With Tesla now exclusively supplying delivery data to the EVC, this is now the single source of sales figures for the brand in Australia.
It’s understood Model 3 deliveries have remained steady due to the arrival of the facelifted ‘Highland’ sedan late last year, while potential buyers are possibly holding out for the similarly updated Model Y ‘Juniper’, due to enter production in 2025.
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