Tesla poised for new record when August sales announced

Australia’s most popular electric vehicle brand is expected to leave some big brands in its wake when the official industry results are published on Monday.

Tesla is tipped to announce a record sales result for August after shiploads of new vehicles were tracked landing in Australia during the month.

Vedaprime, which tracks Tesla deliveries for customers for a fee, is reporting that seven ships have offloaded Teslas in various ports around the country in the past month.

Rough estimates based on shipping numbers suggest that the brand has sold more than 4000 cars in August.

That should place it in the top ten on the sales charts, despite having just two models, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV.

Sales of Tesla’s Model Y SUV are booming. Picture: Thomas Wielecki.

Bigger numbers are expected in September and experts believe the brand is on a trajectory to eclipse 25,000 sales for the year.

If it does that it should outsell established brands such as Honda, BMW and Audi.

Tesla is different to other makers because its deliveries come in either a trickle or a flood. In the first three months of this year, it sold 4417 vehicles, but since then only 240 cars have been sold due to Covid-related plant closures in China and the global shortage of semiconductors.

Some customers have been waiting since January for Model 3 deliveries, creating a huge backlog that is only now being filled.

Tesla dominates the EV market in Australia. Last year it sold more than 12,000 vehicles, while the other 50 or so brands sold just 4597 between them.

Tesla dominates electric vehicle sales in Australia. Picture: Thomas Wielecki.

The result will also boost the percentage of EVs and plug-in hybrids sold in Australia. At the moment they make up roughly two per cent of total sales but by the end of the year that could rise to three per cent.

The recent arrival of the Model Y SUV has given the brand a huge lift and it is expected to comfortably outsell the Model 3 sedan, given the popularity of softroaders.

Tesla opened its order books for the Model Y in June and began deliveries at the beginning of this month.

At the same time it was able to reboot shipments of its Model 3 after the Shanghai lockdown ended.

Plant closures have slowed sales this year but now it’s full-steam ahead. Picture: Thomas Wielecki.

Sales momentum is likely to build even further in coming months as the Federal Government’s Fringe Benefits Tax exemption for electric company cars passes through parliament.

Leasing experts suggest the FBT waiver could make the Tesla cheaper than many mainstream petrol models over a four-year loan period.

While Tesla sales are booming, other makers are struggling to get adequate supplies of EVs to satisfy buyer demand.

Hyundai have sold modest numbers of their respective EV6 and Ioniq 5 electric cars – just 346 each.

Market leader Toyota is yet to launch an EV, while second-placed Mazda has reportedly sold less than 30 electric MX-30s.