Tesla Is Outselling Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. in 2021, Closing in on Lexus and BMW

The U.S. vehicle sales figures for the first three quarters of the year are a rebuke to anyone still doubting that all-electric vehicles are in the process of implanting themselves solidly in the market – even in combustion-engine-loving America. As of the end of September, Tesla – maker of exclusively BEVs, we remind you – is outselling Mercedes-Benz in the US of A, according to Automotive News.

The figures are 230,855 vehicles sold for Tesla, and 213,708 for the Silver Star luxury automaker. That performance puts Elon Musk’s company in third spot among high-end vehicle manufacturers, behind only Lexus and BMW. And Tesla may just catch those rivals before the year is out.

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Hold on just a minute, says BMW. The German automaker’s big boss Oliver Zipse begs to differ, making the claim in an interview with German publication Handelsblatt that Tesla is not a premium brand. Comparing the two is thus an apples and oranges proposition.

Perhaps in a bid to avoid BMW being seen to lose its status in America to the upstart EV maker, Zipse pointed to differing standards between the two companies when it comes to quality of construction and reliability, and to the lower prices Tesla charges for “equivalent” products.

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