Tesla sold more cars than Audi in 2024

Model 3 and Model Y alone were more popular than all Audis combined

Photo by: Motor1.com

By: Stefan Wagner

Jan 15, 2025 at 5:32am ET

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Audi has not had a good year, there is nothing to gloss over. There are many reasons for this. One of them is certainly the lack of new models. For what seemed like an eternity, the Ingolstadt-based company did not launch any new models. From the summer of 2024, they finally countered with the Q6 e-tron, and later with the new A5 and A6 e-tron. However, the new models came too late for a good result in 2024. Audi recorded an overall decline of 11.8 per cent.

In Germany, sales were even 21 per cent down on the previous year. Worldwide, 1,671,218 cars with the four rings were sold last year, exactly 118,008 fewer than Tesla. So you can see how the pecking order in the car industry is changing. And even though Audi didn't exactly put in an outstanding performance in 2024 - for the first time, the all-electric brand from Texas sold more cars than any of the three German premium brands.

The achievement is even more impressive when you consider the following: Tesla only has five models in its portfolio and all of them are electric: Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X and the Cybertruck. As you can imagine, Model 3 and Model Y have done most of the work. Elon Musk's company sold 1,704,093 units of these two models alone, which is exactly 32,875 units more than Audi sold in total. The fact that Model S, Model X and the Cybertruck only accounted for 85,133 sales is almost a gift.

This comparison is even more bitter for the Ingolstadt-based car manufacturer if you look at how many models its own line-up actually consists of. I hope I'm not forgetting anything, but with the A1 Sportback and Allstreet, A3 Sportback/Saloon/Allstreet, A5 Saloon and Avant, A6 Saloon and Avant, A7 Sportback, A8, Q2, Q3 and Q3 Sportback, Q5 and Q5 Sportback as well as Q7 and Q8, there are already 18 models on the combustion engine side alone. Many of which also have their own S and RS variants.

Audi A6 e-tron

Photos by: Audi

Then there are the all-electric Q4 e-tron plus Sportback, A6 e-tron plus Avant, Q6 e-tron plus Sportback, Q8 e-tron and the e-tron GT - some of which also have additional sports versions. And as if that wasn't enough, the company is also treating itself to a handful of cars that will be offered exclusively on the Chinese market. These include several saloons and SUVs with an extended wheelbase as well as the somewhat confusingly named Q6 with combustion engines. Incidentally, there was also a drop of 11 per cent in the Far East. However, China remains by far the largest market with 649,000 units.

What becomes clear is that Audi has many times more models and drive variants (diesel, petrol, plug-in hybrids and electric drives) on offer than Tesla, but still sold fewer cars last year.

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Tesla, on the other hand, was reasonably successful in countering the falling demand for electric cars worldwide, selling just under 19,500 fewer units than in 2023. In Germany, on the other hand, the American manufacturer experienced a debacle and recorded a drop of 41 per cent. The major facelift of the best-selling Model Y, which has just started production, could soon provide a remedy.

Tesla Model Y (2025)

Photos by: Tesla

However, Tesla will probably need its eagerly awaited entry-level model to attack the two other German premium brands Mercedes and BMW. However, it is still unclear when a possible Model 2 will arrive. Mercedes-Benz sold 1,983,400 vehicles last year, a drop of three per cent. BMW remains the premium leader. 2,200,177 deliveries represent a drop of 2.3 per cent compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, Audi is looking to the future with relative confidence despite the recent tense economic situation. The long-neglected model initiative is in full swing. In addition to the new additions already mentioned, three absolute cornerstones of the portfolio will be renewed in 2025 with the third Q5 generation, the A7 and the Q3.

A new brand is also being launched in China. It remains to be seen how AUDI (yes, it really will be called that) will fare in the currently extremely difficult Chinese market. From mid-2025, the new brand created together with SAIC will launch three vehicles on the market.