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2014 EV sales pass 100K in the US, Nissan LEAF sets record
The new year is underway, which means it’s time for car companies and analysts to tally all of the sales figures from 2014 and decide whether it was a good year or not. It’s like a critic’s “year in review” think piece, but with more math.
As it turns out, 2014 was a good year for electric cars. Sales continued to grow, surpassing 100,000 units (including battery-electrics and plug-in hybrids) in the U.S. for the first time and marking the third straight year of sales increases in the country.
That includes 12,874 sales in December alone, a monthly sales record surpassing the roughly 12,000 sales achieved last March.
The best-selling electric car was the Nissan LEAF, which became the first vehicle of its kind to surpass 30,000 sales in a calendar year in any country, with 30,200 U.S. sales.
Tesla Motors likely sold many Model S electric cars, but since the company doesn’t disclose sales figures, we don’t know how many. Tesla previously said it was on track to build 33,000 cars in 2014, but hasn’t confirmed reaching that goal.
The Chevrolet Volt was also among the top-selling plug-in cars, although sales appear to have stagnated as Chevy prepares to unveil an updated 2016 model at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.
The 18,805 Volt sales in calendar-year 2014 were down significantly from the 23,461 sales logged in 2012 and 23.094 in 2013.
The LEAF, Model S, and Volt account for the vast majority of plug-in car sales, although the BMW i3 may soon join their ranks. It managed to crack 1,000 sales for four of the eight months it’s been in showrooms, finishing the year with 6,092.
The Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid recorded 13,264 sales in 2014 – a light increase from 12,088 in 2013 – but sales have declined sharply in recent months. It’s possible that, like Chevy, Toyota is also biding its time until a new model arrives.
A variety of other plug-in models also continued to sell in smaller numbers but, while the same major players continued to dominate, the overall growth in plug-in car sales should help the industry start 2015 on a good note.
The new year is underway, which means it’s time for car companies and analysts to tally all of the sales figures from 2014 and decide whether it was a good year or not. It’s like a critic’s “year in review” think piece, but with more math.
As it turns out, 2014 was a good year for electric cars. Sales continued to grow, surpassing 100,000 units (including battery-electrics and plug-in hybrids) in the U.S. for the first time and marking the third straight year of sales increases in the country.
That includes 12,874 sales in December alone, a monthly sales record surpassing the roughly 12,000 sales achieved last March.
The best-selling electric car was the Nissan LEAF, which became the first vehicle of its kind to surpass 30,000 sales in a calendar year in any country, with 30,200 U.S. sales.
Tesla Motors likely sold many Model S electric cars, but since the company doesn’t disclose sales figures, we don’t know how many. Tesla previously said it was on track to build 33,000 cars in 2014, but hasn’t confirmed reaching that goal.
The Chevrolet Volt was also among the top-selling plug-in cars, although sales appear to have stagnated as Chevy prepares to unveil an updated 2016 model at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.
The 18,805 Volt sales in calendar-year 2014 were down significantly from the 23,461 sales logged in 2012 and 23.094 in 2013.
The LEAF, Model S, and Volt account for the vast majority of plug-in car sales, although the BMW i3 may soon join their ranks. It managed to crack 1,000 sales for four of the eight months it’s been in showrooms, finishing the year with 6,092.
The Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid recorded 13,264 sales in 2014 – a light increase from 12,088 in 2013 – but sales have declined sharply in recent months. It’s possible that, like Chevy, Toyota is also biding its time until a new model arrives.
A variety of other plug-in models also continued to sell in smaller numbers but, while the same major players continued to dominate, the overall growth in plug-in car sales should help the industry start 2015 on a good note.
