Toyota recently admitted that the Tesla Model 3 is affecting Prius sales. According to the Japanese automaker, it has a 9 percent owner defection rate in North America, attributing about half of that to Tesla.
Last year, Tesla disclosed the top five cars that Tesla Model 3 buyers are trading in, while the Prius topped the list. The list goes as follows:
“Toyota dealers are facing uncharacteristic defections from one of the brand’s most recognizable products, the Prius, to one of the industry’s upstarts, Tesla. Toyota has an overall defection rate to other brands of about 9 percent, and about half of that is made up of Prius owners going to Tesla,” according to Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor North America.
Tesla Model 3 became the official best-selling premium vehicle in the United States last year after its first full year of production and all industry sales numbers for 2018 came in. “Additionally, 2018 was the first time in decades that an American car – the Model 3 – was the best-selling premium vehicle in the U.S. for the full year, with U.S. sales of Model 3 roughly double those of the runner up,” the company said.
Overall, Tesla confirmed it delivered 145,846 Model 3 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada throughout 2018.
