Tesla is Finding Plenty of Lovin' in California

by Jay Traugott Electric Car / 39 Comments

Then again, so is the Toyota Prius.

Maybe it's the California sun or just the more green-car friendly atmosphere, but the Tesla Model S is currently enjoying a sales boom in the Golden State. A new sales report has revealed the EV has outsold all models from luxury brands like Porsche, Volvo, Lincoln, Land Rover and Jaguar in the first half of this year. All told, Tesla sold some 4,714 new cars. For comparison, Lexus sold 2,298 GS units while Audi moved some 1,619 A6s. Buick and Cadillac, on the other hand, sold a total of 4,675 and 6,805 vehicles respectively.

Considering that Tesla only has one model and that it's a pure EV says a lot. Although California sells more cars than any other US state, buyers there also really, really like fuel efficient vehicles. Want proof? The top-selling car in California for the first half of 2013 was the Toyota Prius, with 33,978 units moving off dealer lots.