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New data from individual manufacturers and Cox Automotive / Kelley Blue Book show that the Toyota RAV is America’s top-selling individual model thus far in 2024. With 248,295 units delivered in the first two quarters, Toyota has surpassed the Tesla Model Y as America’s top-selling individual model. Cox/KBB supplied updated U.S.-market delivery numbers for Tesla, since the automaker will not do so itself, and the total shown is 198,030. This change in position is a result of Toyota’s RAV4 sales surging 33% in Q2 of this year vs. Q2 last year and Tesla’s sales declining by about 1%.
We should note that the Ford F-150 may be a higher-volume model, but Ford has not broken out its F-Series into individual models. Instead, it couples all F-Series trucks (F-150, F-250, F-350, etc.) together. This would be similar to Toyota grouping all of its SUVs into one big category. Let us not overlook the F-Series' huge popularity.
RAV4 Is Roughly 52% Electrified
The RAV4 presently on sale in 2024 comes with three powertrains. The top-selling is its conventional 2.5-liter gas engine at roughly 46% of total RAV4 deliveries. The RAV4 hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) also has roughly 46% share, and the RAV4 Prime Plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV) makes up the balance at just under 7%. Therefore, over half of Toyota’s RAV4s being sold today are electrified.
RAV4 Expected to be 100% Electrified In Next-Gen
Expectations are that Toyota will move the RAV4 line to an entirely electrified offering with its next generation. The most likely mix is 95% HEV and 5% PHEV. Toyota has already fully electrified many of its most popular models, including the Camry, Sienna, Prius, Crown, and Venza (soon to be renamed Crown Signia). We do not wish to confuse readers with terminology. If you need a primer on the difference between Electric and Electrified, please check out this story clarifying the terms.
Tesla In Decline
Tesla’s Model 3 is now in steep decline in America. This could be buyer preference, or it could be attributed to Tesla shifting to a newer style in early 2024 and not being able to manage its production flow. Whatever the reason, Tesla only delivered 73,552 through Q2, a drop of over 33%. Toyota’s Camry is also undergoing a generational change right now, but sales rose by about 2% to 155,242 units. Thus, the Camry now outsells the Tesla Model 3 by about 2 to 1 in America.
Tesla’s Cybertruck, Model X, and Model S barely sell. In total, all three account for roughly 30,000 units delivered in America this year to date. The Model X and S are now old news, and the Cybertruck’s excuse is that it is still ramping up from its introduction many years ago. Its actual production started in November of 2023.
Toyota Electrified Vehicles Surge In Popularity
Toyota’s electrified models are surging in popularity. Deliveries have risen a staggering 66% year over year, and Toyota is now at an annual pace of reaching 1 million electrified units by the end of 2024. These will be a combination of BEV, PHEV, HFCEV, and HEV-powertrain-equipped vehicles. Toyota’s total mix of electrified vehicles is now approaching 40% and may reach 50% by year-end as the high-volume Camry is entirely electrified for the new 2025 model year.
Image of Toyota RAV4 Prime courtesy of Kate Silbaugh.
This link will take you to the Cox/KBB data used in this story in reference to Tesla deliveries. Toyota reports its deliveries every quarter to all media outlets and publishes detailed listing at its press page.
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John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work at our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading.
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