In the third quarter, Tesla’s global passenger car sales exceeded those of Mercedes-Benz for the first time. Mercedes-Benz delivered 441,500 vehicles, while Tesla sold 497,099 units, outpacing Mercedes by 55,599 vehicles, or 12.6%.
Mercedes-Benz’s sales fell 12.3% year over year, whereas Tesla’s deliveries rose 7.4% during the same period.
The milestone marks a symbolic moment in automotive history: Mercedes built its first car in 1901, while Tesla was founded in 2004.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk celebrated the achievement by reposting the news on social media.