Tesla delivered a record-breaking 241,300 electric vehicles in the third quarter, blowing past expectations as other U.S. automakers experienced a drop in sales as the result of a global chip shortage.
The vast majority of Tesla deliveries (some 96%) were its newer Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover, according to its report released Saturday. Tesla said that 9,275 of the vehicles it delivered were Model X and S. Deliveries grew 20% since the second quarter and by 73% than the same period last year.
Production numbers have also grown. Tesla produced 237,823 electric vehicles in the third quarter, another record for the company.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk congratulated the company and its employees via a tweet for hitting the delivery and production numbers. In a separate tweet, Musk wrote “And thanks very much to our suppliers & logistics partners for coming through despite great difficulties!”
And thanks very much to our suppliers & logistics partners for coming through despite great difficulties!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2021
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
While Tesla beat expectations, other legacy automakers reported a drop in U.S. sales. (Tesla’s sales are global and the company does not provide regional data).
GM took the hardest hit. GM reported Friday it sold 446,997 vehicles in the U.S., a 33% drop in new vehicle sales compared to the same quarter last year. GM has idled several plants this summer due to the global shortage of semiconductor chips and battery packs for its Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV vehicles. Those plants have since come back online.
Despite the drop in U.S. sales, GM said it was maintaining its full-year adjusted earnings of $11.5 billion to $13.5 billion as the company “continues to develop solutions to mitigate the impacts of the semiconductor shortage and Chevrolet Bolt EV recall.”
Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, reported an 18% drop in U.S. sales. Ford has not reported its sales numbers yet.
