After the Tesla Model 3 launched in Canada, it quickly became the top selling electric vehicle (EV) in the country. Now the Model 3 can add another distinction to its list of many accomplishments, as it became the top selling luxury car, EV or otherwise, in Canada in 2019.
With Tesla’s rapid ascent to the top of the list, the demand for Canada’s typical luxury brands, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, saw an equally steep drop. Sales for the once-popular German luxury brands were down more than 8,000 units overall in 2019.
The BMW 3 Series, typically a top contender for best-selling luxury car in Canada, fell all the way to 10th on the list. In 2019, BMW sold just 5,908 units, down 5% from 2018 sales.
The Mercedes Benz C-Class sales dropped a whopping 30% in 2019. What was once the top-selling luxury car in Canada as recently as 2017, fell to 8th this year, with sales down to 6,824 units in 2019.
Then there’s the new kid on the block, the Tesla Model 3. Official numbers for Canadian sales in 2019 aren’t available, but based on numbers through Q3 2019, it is likely that Tesla sold more than 17,000 units last year. That’s three times as many sales as the BMW 3 Series, and about two and half times as many as Mercedes Benz and the C-Class.
Canadian sales of the Model 3 helped push Tesla to record year. In 2019, the California automaker delivered 367,500 vehicles, with a record 112,000 delivered in Q4. With the first deliveries of the Model Y expected to begin ahead of schedule next month, and the completion of the new Giga Shanghai in China, 2020 will be another year or seeing sales records smashed.
The full list of the top 10 selling luxury cars in Canada is below.
1. Tesla Model 3: est. 17,000+
2. Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class: 10,883, up 21 percent
3. Audi Q5: 10,855, down 9 percent
4. Acura RDX: 9,716, up 9 percent
5. Lexus RX: 8,827, down 5 percent
6. BMW X3: 8,404, up 1 percent
7. Lexus NX: 7,626, down 3 percent
8. Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 6,824, down 30 percent
9. BMW X5: 6,630, up 3 percent
10. BMW 3 Series: 5,908, down 5 percent
h/t [Driving.ca]
