Electric cars are quxjmtzywickly taking over Australia’s roads after the Tesla Model 3 was the country’s fifth best-selling car in March.
It is the first time the American electric vehicle giant has allowed the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries to report its sales figures after historically being guarded with its numbers.
The Model 3 sold 3097 units in March, finishing behind the Toyota and RAV4, Mitsubishi Triton and Mazda CX-5.
This also made it the best-selling passenger car, beating out the Hyundai i30 and Toyota Corolla.
Overall, 101,233 vehicles were sold in March, a slight decrease of 0.5 per cent from the same period last year.
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the manufacturing industry was still recovering from Covid, which delayed car orders nationwide.
“This is historically a unique time in which supply rather than demand is determining the size of the market. This is due to manufacturers recovering from the pandemic-related shutdowns and the ongoing global shortage of micro processing units,” he said.
“Consumer inquiries and demand for new cars remains strong. Manufacturers are working hard to match this demand with supply.”
Tesla’s decision to allow the FCAI to report its sales figures comes after the company landed itself in hot water for releasing inflated numbers in February.
It initially reported to the Electric Vehicle Council that it sold more than 15,000 Model 3 sedans last year that would have made it the best-selling sedan in Australia in 2021.
But shortly afterwards it was revealed that the sale numbers from the last two years had been added together, with the true total sitting at 12,094.
