News
Tesla Model Y overtakes Model 3 in April Global EV sales, Model 3 #1 in 2021
The Tesla Model Y crossover has overtaken its sibling vehicle in the Tesla Model 3 in April’s global electric vehicle sales figures, new data shows.
In April, around 392,000 electric vehicles were registered globally, making it the fourth-best month in the history of electrification. Tesla, the world’s leader in electric vehicles, maintained 2nd and 3rd place on April’s sales charts, with the Model Y overtaking its sibling Model 3 for the first time globally.
The Model Y crossover debuted in March 2020 when Tesla first delivered the all-electric vehicle to customers. Since then, it has gained popularity thanks to its trendy body style and impressive performance specifications. Combine this with affordability, and the Model Y is one of the most appealing automobiles on the market today.
Credit: Tesla China/Twitter
In April, the Model Y accumulated 16,232 registrations, according to the EV Sales Blog, a website that tracks global electric vehicle sales. The Model 3 sold only 14,980, making it the third most popular EV globally. The first was the HongGuang Mini EV from Wuling. Its highly affordable price tag that starts at around $5,000 makes it one of the most popular vehicles globally despite not having standard features without additional charges. The vehicle is sold in China mostly, where the Wuling-General Motors-SAIC joint venture vehicle has dominated the Chinese EV sector’s sales figures for around 8 consecutive months.
Credit: EV Sales Blog
The Model Y overtaking the Model 3 was an impressive move, but it was something Tesla’s executives always imagined. “We’re confident this product will be our best-selling product ever,” Musk said in regards to the Model Y during the Q1 2020 Earnings Call. Tesla was able to achieve profitability with the Model Y in its first quarter of production, something that the automaker could never achieve with any of its previous vehicles.
Looking forward, Musk believes that the Model Y will be the best-selling car on Earth in 2022. “When it comes to Model Y, we think Model Y will be the best-selling car or vehicle of any kind in the world and probably next year,” Musk said during the Q1 2021 Earnings Call. “So I’m not 100% certain next year, but I think it’s quite likely. I’d say more likely than not, that in 2022, Model Y is the best-selling car or truck of any kind in the world.”
As for the year so far, the Model 3 still stands as the best-selling EV globally. Despite reports of a weak April, the Model 3 still maintains a healthy lead in the global EV market over the Wuling HongGuang Mini EV with 141,696 units sold. The latter vehicle stands at 125,925, while the Model Y’s strong April helped it maintain its third-place position on the chart with 72,296 cars sold this year.
Credit: EV Sales Blog
Tesla is still the most popular manufacturer of electric vehicles, according to more statistics. The Model 3 and Model Y have been two of Tesla’s most prominent vehicles so far, despite its very limited lineup of products. Tesla has not delivered a Model S or Model X this year that wasn’t already in its inventory due to a refresh that the automaker decided to perform on its flagship vehicles. This effectively means that Tesla is still dominating the global EV market with 14% of the total market share and 216,079 sales while only delivering half its vehicles. The SGMW joint venture sits in second place with 133,720, accounting for 9% of the market share.
Credit: EV Sales Blog
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
News
Tesla extends FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe by three months
Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe.
Tesla appears to be doubling down on its European Full Self-Driving (Supervised) push, with the company extending its demo ride-along program by three months until the end of March 2026. The update seems to have been implemented due to overwhelming demand.
Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe.
Extended FSD demonstrations
Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager Ivan Komušanac shared on LinkedIn that the company is offering ride-along experiences in Germany, France and Italy while working toward FSD (Supervised) approval in Europe.
He noted that this provides a great feedback opportunity from the general public, encouraging participants to record and share their experiences. For those unable to book in December, Komušanac teased more slots as “Christmas presents.”
Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt highlighted the extension on X, stating that dates now run from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, in multiple cities including Stuttgart-Weinstadt, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in Germany. This suggests that the FSD ride-along program in Europe has officially been extended until the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Building momentum for European approval
Replies to Merritt’s posts buzzed with excitement, with users like @AuzyMale noting that Cologne and Düsseldorf are already fully booked. This sentiment was echoed by numerous other Tesla enthusiasts on social media. Calls for the program’s expansion to other European territories have also started gaining steam, with some X users suggesting Switzerland and Finland as the next locations for FSD ride-alongs.
Ultimately, the Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager’s post aligns with the company’s broader FSD efforts in Europe. As per recent reports, Tesla recently demonstrated FSD’s capabilities for Rome officials. Reporters from media outlets in France and Germany have also published positive reviews of FSD’s capabilities on real-world roads.
News
Tesla’s six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L sold out for January 2026
Estimated delivery dates for new Tesla Model Y L orders now extend all the way into February 2026.
The Tesla Model Y L seems to be in high demand in China, with estimated delivery dates for new orders now extending all the way into February 2026.
This suggests that the Model Y L has been officially sold out from the rest of 2025 to January 2026.
Model Y L estimated delivery dates
The Model Y L’s updated delivery dates mark an extension from the vehicle’s previous 4-8 week estimated wait time. A detailed chart shared by Tesla data tracker @Tslachan on X shows the progressions of the Model Y L’s estimated delivery dates since its launch earlier this year.
Following its launch in September, the vehicle was given an initial October 2025 estimated delivery date. The wait times for the vehicle were continually updated over the years, until the middle of November, when the Model Y L had an estimated delivery date of 4-8 weeks. This remained until now, when Tesla China simply listed February 2026 as the estimated delivery date for new Model Y L orders.
Model Y demand in China
Tesla Model Y demand in China seems to be very healthy, even beyond the Model Y L. New delivery dates show the company has already sold out its allocation of the all-electric crossover for 2025. The Model Y has been the most popular vehicle in the world in both of the last two years, outpacing incredibly popular vehicles like the Toyota RAV4. In China, the EV market is substantially more saturated, with more competitors than in any other market.
Tesla has been particularly kind to the Chinese market, as it has launched trim levels for the Model Y in the country that are not available anywhere else, such as the Model Y L. Demand has been strong for the Model Y in China, with the vehicle ranking among the country’s top 5 New Energy Vehicles. Interestingly enough, vehicles that beat the Model Y in volume like the BYD Seagull are notably more affordable. Compared to vehicles that are comparably priced, the Model Y remains a strong seller in China.
Elon Musk
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang commends Tesla’s Elon Musk for early belief
“And when I announced DGX-1, nobody in the world wanted it. I had no purchase orders, not one. Nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody wanted to be part of it, except for Elon.”
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Wednesday and commended Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his early belief in what is now the most valuable company in the world.
Huang and Musk are widely regarded as two of the greatest tech entrepreneurs of the modern era, with the two working in conjunction as NVIDIA’s chips are present in Tesla vehicles, particularly utilized for self-driving technology and data collection.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regrets not investing more in Elon Musk’s xAI
Both CEOs defied all odds and created companies from virtually nothing. Musk joined Tesla in the early 2000s before the company had even established any plans to build a vehicle. Jensen created NVIDIA in the booth of a Denny’s restaurant, which has been memorialized with a plaque.
On the JRE episode, Rogan asked about Jensen’s relationship with Elon, to which the NVIDIA CEO said that Musk was there when nobody else was:
“I was lucky because I had known Elon Musk, and I helped him build the first computer for Model 3, the Model S, and when he wanted to start working on an autonomous vehicle. I helped him build the computer that went into the Model S AV system, his full self-driving system. We were basically the FSD computer version 1, and so we were already working together.
And when I announced DGX-1, nobody in the world wanted it. I had no purchase orders, not one. Nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody wanted to be part of it, except for Elon.
He goes ‘You know what, I have a company that could really use this.’ I said, Wow, my first customer. And he goes, it’s an AI company, and it’s a nonprofit and and we could really use one of these supercomputers. I boxed one up, I drove it up to San Francisco, and I delivered it to the Elon in 2016.”
The first DGX-1 AI supercomputer was delivered personally to Musk when he was with OpenAI, which provided crucial early compute power for AI research, accelerating breakthroughs in machine learning that underpin modern tools like ChatGPT.
Tesla’s Nvidia purchases could reach $4 billion this year: Musk
The long-term alliance between NVIDIA and Tesla has driven over $2 trillion in the company’s market value since 2016.
Tesla extends FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe by three months
Tesla’s six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L sold out for January 2026
