Tesla Model Y Became the World's Best-Selling Car in 2023, Cementing the Manufacturer's Success

Credit: Tesa

The past week has been full of news in the Tesla universe. The company started the year off on a strong note, announcing that Model Y was the world's best-selling car last year and giving us plenty of other reasons to celebrate. Welcome to our weekly round-up with Jowua.

Tesla Model Y becomes the best-selling car in the world in 2023

Elon Musk has long prophesied that Model Y would become the best-selling car in the world, and now this goal has been achieved. Tesla announced the news in its 2023 financial report released on Wednesday. The electric SUV easily surpassed the sales volume of both Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Corolla, which makes its success especially impressive. Model Y sales totaled 1.23 million. That was 160,000 units more than the second-place RAV4 with 1.07 million, and 220,000 more than Corolla with 1.01 million.

Giga Nevada expansion begins

According to observations, Tesla has begun construction of an expansion for high-volume production of Semi electric trucks at Giga Nevada. The company announced in early 2023 that it would spend $3.6 billion to expand the factory to include space to build the Semi and 4680 batteries. Drone footage showed construction equipment excavating next to the existing building. It remains unclear whether Tesla will build a separate building to produce Semi and 4680 battery cells or is simply preparing a new parking lot. At the moment, on the site required by the expansion plan, there is a parking lot for employees' cars.

Tesla starts to roll out FSD v12

Tesla began the public rollout of FSD v12 earlier this week. This is the first version in which the self-driving system runs entirely on end-to-end neural networks. This means that the car can now “see” its surroundings and “make decisions” about how to drive the car, relying on artificial intelligence (AI). With FSD v12, Tesla cars no longer rely on lines of code that previously guided them on how to behave in various situations. This development is a huge breakthrough for the field of autonomous vehicles.

Cybertrucks arrive in China

While Chinese consumers may not be able to own a Cybertruck, Tesla brought a few along for a demo. According to the information, eight electric pickups have arrived in China and will be demonstrated in as many Chinese cities at the end of January. Legalizing Cybertruck sales in China is a complex process, so it remains unknown whether Tesla will be willing to start officially selling it there.

Tesla begins expansion in South America

The manufacturer is preparing to launch its operations in South America for the first time, starting with Chile. According to reports, Tesla will open its first store in Santiago by the end of January. Company registration covers the sale of cars and operations related to energy generation and electricity.

Tesla will begin production of the next generation car in 2025

On Wednesday, rumors emerged that Tesla will begin production of its affordable $25,000 car in mid-2025. During the 2023 Earnings Call, Elon Musk confirmed that the company intends to do this. Production will begin at Giga Texas, followed by production at Giga Mexico. He also mentioned that they would be produced at a third plant, the name or location of which he did not mention.