Opinion
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Tesla is flying high. Last year the company that re-invented the electric vehicle for the 21st century sold almost 485,000 EVs in the US alone, a 41 per cent increase on the number it delivered in 2021, in a market where overall vehicle sales slumped 11 per cent.
Tesla may have sold more EVs in the US last year than the rest of the industry combined, but the names underneath it on the sales charts are interesting. Ford was the number two EV brand in America in 2022, and Chevrolet number three. Next came Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Audi.
Of the 23 brands that sold EVs in America last year, only two other than Tesla were pure EV startups – Rivian, which came in at number seven with nearly 15,000 sales, and Lucid, which ranked 15th with almost 3300 sales.
Though off a low base, the year-on-year growth in the number of EVs being sold by established carmakers is impressive. Ford’s 2022 EV sales of 57,000 vehicles were more than double those of 2021. Kia’s 28,500 EVs was more than three times 2021’s total. The 11,400 Mercedes-Benz EVs sold was more than 30 times up on what the three-pointed star retailed in 2021.
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This is just the beginning, says Stewart Stropp, an EV specialist at data and consumer intelligence company J.D. Power.
“I think it’s a matter of these other automakers getting inventory into the system and getting manufacturing ramped up accordingly,” he told Automotive News earlier this year.
“There is an appetite out across the new-vehicle shopper population for electric vehicles that are not Teslas.”
The key point is, what’s happening in America, where EVs last year totalled nearly six per cent of all new vehicle sales, almost certainly indicates future consumer trends in other countries, including Australia, as more battery-powered vehicles hit the market. Let’s look at some of the EVs from legacy carmakers that Tesla should be most worried about.
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Ford
With sales of just under 38,500 units, Ford’s Mustang Mach-E was last year the third best-selling EV in the US.
Although it was comprehensively beaten by both the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, it out-sold Tesla’s now ageing Model X and Model S by 16 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively. But the Mach-E is a sideshow compared with Ford’s real Tesla-killer, the F-150 Lightning pick-up.
Ford’s F-Series has been America’s best-selling truck for 46 years, and America’s best-selling vehicle for 41 years. Sales last year topped 640,000 units. Making an electric version was, therefore, a decision Ford did not take lightly; you don’t mess with that sort of success.
Ford took what seemed the quick and dirty option of wheeling an EV powertrain under the existing F-150 top hat, a task made simpler by its separate chassis.
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Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition
That not only dramatically reduced the time it took Ford to get the Lightning on sale – Tesla’s hideous Cybertruck is now years behind schedule, while both GM and Stellantis are still working on pickups based on dedicated EV platforms – but also allowed Ford to use many of its existing suppliers and to run the Lightning though the same paint shop and down the F-150 assembly line, ensuring fewer quality glitches.
Though production last year was slowed by the global semiconductor shortage, Ford says it is on track to build 150,000 Lightnings a year by 2024, roughly double today’s output. Intriguingly, Ford says 70 per cent of the early orders for the Lightning have come from customers new to the Blue Oval brand.
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Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum
General Motors
Full-size pickups are big business in America, which is why GM is spending big on an all-new EV architecture for its Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV pickups – both of which will go head-to-head with the F-150 Lightning.
GM believes a bespoke EV platform will deliver more range – 640km versus 515km for the longest-range Lightning – a higher towing capacity and four-wheel steering.
GM is also said to be working on a brand new electric pickup smaller than the Hyundai Santa Cruz. This two-door model will have a 1220mm to 1370mm bed and is aimed at lifestyle buyers. With a reported target price of under US$30,000, the pickup would headline GM’s range of affordable EVs, the most popular of which is currently the Chevy Bolt EUV crossover, almost 26,000 of which were sold in America last year.
Teslas are categorised in the U.S. as luxury vehicles, which perhaps explains why GM is devoting a lot of time, effort, and money to developing a range of Cadillac EVs.
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Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss
First of the new-age EV Caddys to hit the market was the Lyric SUV, which went on sale last year to generally positive reviews from the U.S. automotive media.
Halo model is the US$300,000 Celestiq, a huge all-wheel drive luxury sedan that will boast an estimated 450kW and 868Nm of torque, will hit 100km/h in about 4.0 seconds, and travel more than 480km, courtesy of a 111kWh battery pack. A 200 kW DC fast charging system will add 125km of range in 10 minutes.
The first hand-built Celestiqs will be completed in December, and will in 2024 be joined by three more battery-powered Cadillac models – an EV version of the Escalade, Cadillac’s flagship SUV, plus two electric crossover models, one sized just a bit larger than the Tesla Model Y, and the other bigger than a Tesla Model X.
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Cadillac Celestiq
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is committed to developing nothing but EVs from 2030, and the transition is well underway, with the electric-powered EQS and EQE sedan and SUV variants already selling well.
Its new EVs will further challenge the perception that Tesla is a true luxury brand.
The first of four EV model lines being developed on the new MMA compact and mid-range electric vehicle architecture will appear in late 2024-early 2025.
The MMA cars will feature e-motors designed and made by Mercedes-Benz, 800V electric architectures to ensure fast charge times, and batteries with new cell chemistry that promise longer driving range from smaller and lighter battery packs.
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Mercedes-Benz EQE
The MMA cars will be available with a new version of the Hyperscreen with higher resolution displays and a new MBUX interface, and a driver assistance system that includes Lidar. Those who’ve seen an MMA prototype also say it is better packaged than the Tesla Model 3, with a roomier and much more luxurious-looking interior.
A Mercedes EV that will tempt the wealthier Tesla customers is the electric-powered G-Class that’s also due for launch in 2024.
Based on the existing W463 model this electric G-Class boasts a powertrain with an e-motor at each wheel that delivers not only thrusting performance on-road – it will be quicker than the thundering 430kW, 850Nm AMG G 63 – but off-road capability better than a Toyota LandCruiser or Range Rover.
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Mercedes-Benz G-Class EV
Stellantis
As with the electric G-Class, the electric version of the new Maserati GranTurismo, the Folgore, combines a legendary brand, old-school luxury, and distinctive style with a state-of-the-moment EV powertrain.
The Folgore is powered by three e-motors designed and engineered to Maserati’s exact specifications, controlled by a silicon carbide inverter, and wired into an 800V electrical architecture.
Each is capable of 300kW and 450Nm, though total power output in the GranTurismo Folgore is limited to 560kW at the wheels because its 92.5kWh battery has a maximum discharge capability of 610kW.
Even so, 560kW, working with 1350Nm of torque, is enough to get the Folgore to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds and to 200km/h in 8.8 seconds.
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Maserati GranTurismo Folgore
Maserati is just one of 14 brands in the Stellantis portfolio, but CEO Carlos Tavares says each of them (Peugeot, Fiat, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, Ram, and Jeep) has a plan to transition to EV production, and US$36 billion has been set aside to make that happen. By 2030, says Tavares, Stellantis will have more than 75 EV nameplates and be selling five million EVs a year.
Tesla’s massive first mover advantage is under attack. The empire is striking back.
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