Tesla Model Y Set to Take Top Spot as World's Best Selling Car in 2023

The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are in the Top 10 vehicles sold worldwide

Tesla

Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, once said, "I say something, and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens." In April 2021, Musk predicted that the Model Y would be the world's best-selling vehicle. He wasn't sure if it would happen in 2022, but he was confident the electric SUV would take the global crown from Toyota's Corolla in 2023.

Moving on Up

According to a report from Focus to Move, the Model Y is now the fourth best-selling vehicle worldwide after an astonishing 88 percent jump from 2021 to 2022. There were 759,000 Model Ys sold last year, just 28,000 units behind the third-place Ford F-150 which has been the best-selling truck for the previous 46 years. Toyota claimed the top two spots, with the RAV4 at 870,000 and the Corolla selling 1.12 million.

The runway is clear for the Model Y to vie for the world's best-selling car title in 2023. There are three critical elements to achieve the goal: capacity, demand and competition.

Capacity

First, capacity. To reach the top spot, the Model Y will need to increase its sales by approximately 60% compared to 2022, which is a very achievable goal, considering both the Giga Texas and Giga Berlin factories aim to produce 500,000 cars per year. During Tesla's Q4 earnings call, Elon Musk said Tesla plans to produce about 1.8 million vehicles in 2023, up about 37% from 2022. Musk later added that Tesla may be able to reach 2 million vehicles in 2023, which would be an increase of 52% over its 2022 numbers.

Demand

Second, demand is there. In the wake of the recent price drops, Bank of America predicts Tesla's volume to jump 53 percent, up from its original forecast for 17% growth. Also, Musk said during the fourth quarter earnings call that the company is receiving the most orders year to date in its history. Plus, the price tag of the Model Y and Model 3 is now very close. As a result, many buyers may consider getting into the slightly larger Model Y over the Model 3.

Competition

Thirdly, the competition. Toyota's Corolla is half the price of the Model Y. Therefore, to grab the top spot in the world, the Corolla will have to come down a few pegs. As the manufacturer is playing catch up on the EV market, perhaps the bZ4X will take away from Corolla's typical buyers.

Top 5 Cars Sold Worldwide

Below is a list of the top 5 vehicles sold worldwide, as compiled by Focus2Move. It's not clear whether Focus2Move includes used cars in their figures or if they include sales for vehicles that have yet to be delivered.

Tesla Robotaxi Sends Out More Invites: Next Phases of Robotaxi

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Following the successful launch of Robotaxi on Sunday, June 22nd, Tesla has begun moving to the next phase of its Robotaxi rollout. They have finally begun sending out a second, larger wave of invites, expanding the early access program to more members of the Tesla community across the United States.

This has moved them past the initial 20 or so users that were offered access on Sunday. That also means Tesla is on the hunt for something crucial: more real-world data.

More Riders ASAP

The initial launch was a tightly controlled event, with access granted to a small and curated group of influencers. While this approach was ideal for generating initial buzz for the launch and collecting feedback from high-quality testers, it also presented logistical challenges.

With only a handful of authorized riders and vehicles, the demand for rides would inevitably dry up as influencers begin their journeys back home. Without a public release, that would leave Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet idle, unable to gather additional data.

To rapidly improve on Robotaxi’s FSD, Tesla needs its vehicles to be constantly navigating real-world scenarios, encountering edge cases, and logging miles. The second round of invites is needed to keep Robotaxis learning and on the road.

Austin Users Next?

This new wave of invites isn’t an open door for members of the public quite yet. By continuing to send invites to trusted community members, Tesla is executing a slow and deliberate rollout by inviting members who know and love Tesla. This allows them to scale the program gradually, increasing the number of users and the diversity of ride requests without overwhelming the relatively small initial fleet of about 10 cars.

Future phases will likely involve opening access to Tesla owners within Austin, which would open up a regular flow of rides. Once that’s done, Robotaxi will likely open up to the public.

Sign of Confidence

The expansion of the early access program is a sign that Tesla is happy and confident with the rollout so far. While Tesla can gather plenty of data around Austin from Tesla owners using FSD, they also need to continue testing features that are exclusive to the Robotaxi, such as the Robotaxi app, support, and remotely control the vehicles when needed.

We expect a full launch to potentially still be months out, but this methodical expansion will likely see more users gradually gain access to the Robotaxi network in the coming weeks.

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Tesla Executive Omead Afshar Departs as Tesla's Focus Also Changes

Not a Tesla App

Omead Afshar, who was previously Elon Musk’s “Fixer” and the Head of Operations for North America and Europe, has left the company, according to reports from Forbes and Bloomberg.

While some sources have claimed he was fired, others say he voluntarily left, but his exit isn’t exactly an isolated event.

Afshar’s departure is the second high-level exit this month, following Optimus' lead, Milan Kovac. When viewed together, alongside Elon's full-time return to Tesla, these changes may offer some insight into the pressures the Tesla executive team is facing during a transitional period.

Transition from what, you may ask? Well, from the world’s largest EV company to an AI and robotics-first company. This transition has been looming for years, and with Elon’s vision of a future powered by autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots. It’s the path that Tesla is determined to forge, ahead of anyone else, and despite the immense challenges of real-world AI.

Two Competing Narratives

Two primary theories have emerged to explain the timing of Afshar’s exit, and each paints quite a different picture.

The first, supported by the reporting from Forbes, frames him as a casualty of Tesla’s current sales issues. With sales having declined for five consecutive months in Europe and dropping in the US, the second quarter of 2025 has been rough for Tesla. In conjunction with recent factory shutdowns, a lot is happening behind the scenes, with Robotaxi taking the limelight and the missing Affordable Model in the backseat. Afshar’s departure could be the result of a move to show accountability for the performance drop of the core business he managed.

The second narrative is one of “mission accomplished.” Just days before his abrupt exit, Afshar posted a celebratory message on X about the successful launch of the Robotaxi Network.

Absolutely historic day for Tesla.

This has been years of hard work and focus by so many people within the company.

Thank you, Elon, for pushing us all! https://t.co/2FPKU77ZOo

— Omead Afshar (@omead) June 23, 2025

He followed up with a second celebratory-styled message the day after - it was a project he was deeply involved in as the do-it-all executive for Elon. This has led to speculation that his departure was planned, and potentially tied to compensation vesting with the launch of the Robotaxi Network, allowing him to leave on a high note after seeing the kick-off of one of Tesla’s most critical projects. This follows other recent departures of Tesla’s executive team, many of whom have gone to full-time retirement following years of hard work.

The Bigger Picture: What Is Tesla, really?

While both theories are plausible, the truth may be that Afshar’s departure is the symptom of a much larger challenge. Tesla is balancing two very different corporate identities.

On one hand, it's a manufacturing and sales powerhouse, responsible for the world’s best-selling electric vehicles, a business facing intense competition and brand perception challenges that even Elon has acknowledged.

On the other hand, Tesla is the only company shipping real-world AI for consumers, and betting its future on robotics and AI with massive investments in capacity for both future businesses.

The recent executive churn suggests that this balancing act is creating some strain, especially for Tesla’s senior executives. The departure of Milan Kovac signaled pressure on the future side of the business, where progress has been slow but consistent. Now, the exit of Afshar, who ran the “legacy” automotive side of the business, shows there’s pressure there, as the automotive business navigates a period of flattening growth and intense global competition.

So, we ask again - What is Tesla, really? Is it an AI and Robotics company? Kind of, but not really. Is it an EV company? Once again, kind of. 

In our eyes, it is no longer just an EV company, but it’s at a critical point where it is transitioning to an AI and robotics company.

Tesla’s messaging to the outside world is similarly conflicted. On the one hand, the launch of the refreshed Model Y, a massive boost for the business, went seemingly unnoticed by Elon, who only posted a single update on the Model Y after its launch. On the other hand, we’ve seen consistent and non-stop posts about Robotaxi, which is likely years away from generating a significant portion of Tesla’s profits.

A Company in Transition

Ultimately, Omead Afshar’s departure is more than a single personnel change; it’s a reflection of Tesla navigating a crucial and challenging transition. The evidence of an abrupt halt, with internal sources reporting his account has been removed from internal company directories, suggests that there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Whether he was fired for declining sales or chose to leave after the successful launch of the Robotaxi Network, the outcome is the same. A key leader, tasked with managing the core business of the present, is gone at the very moment when the company is changing its path towards AI and robotics.

Being both a car company in a tough market and an AI company on the verge of a breakthrough is a monumental challenge, and the path forward is likely to see even more changes.

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