There was a time when the Tesla Model S was the pinnacle of the electric car market. It was fast, had an impressive range and, if you ignored the quality control issues, was a fairly nice place to be. But now, rich people with a hankering to go electric have found a new dealer to take their dollar: The local Porsche garage.
The Tesla Model S has had a good run at the top of the electric tree. For $89,000, environmentally-minded drivers can buy a car with dual motors, 400 miles of range, 155mph, and a 0-60 time of 3.1 seconds. They also had access to an impressive network of chargers, a pared back interior, and a feeling that they were doing their bit to help the planet.
But, in recent years, Tesla has shifted its focus to the more modest vehicles in its range, such as the Model 3 and Y.
Nowhere is this shift more apparent than in the company’s own sales figures. From January to September 2021, Tesla shipped just 13,185 Model S and Model X electric cars. In contrast, the American automaker delivered a whopping 627,350 examples of its Model 3 and Model Y cars.
After being disregarded by its maker, the Model S is now facing stiff competition from other brands entering the luxury electric car space. The Audi E-Tron GT recently hit the sales floor, and Porsche’s Taycan has been the apple of many buyers’ eyes for the past year.
Now, the true power of Porsche’s selling abilities is out in the open, as the Taycan has substantially outsold the Model S and Model X so far this year. According to some quick math, Porsche is now selling two Taycans for each Models S or X that Tesla ships.
The latest sales figures from Porsche show that it has shifted 28,640 Taycans so far in 2021. In the US, sales topped 7,000 after an increase of almost 150% over 2020. It’s amazing what you can achieve with the might of the VW group behind you.
But it isn’t just electrically-charged rivals the Taycan is smiting. The car has also performed better than Porsche stablemates the Panamera, which sold 20,275 units, and even the flagship 911, of which the German marque sold 27,972 between January and September 2021.
In fact, only Porsche’s SUVs have sold in greater numbers so far this year. The Cayenne was the brand’s most successful model with 62,451 delivered, followed by the Macan, which sold 61,944 units.