Tesla Model S outsells 7 Series and S-Class in the US

Tesla Model S P100D – the fastest production car you can buy – and it's a luxury sedan. Electric motors are superior to internal combustion power in every category

The Tesla Model S topped the US luxury sedan sales chart for the third quarter of 2016, with 9,156 units of the fully electric sedan sold. In second and third place is the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class with 3,634 units and 3,138 units sold respectively – more Model S units were sold than the two German luxury models combined in that period, according to data obtained by IHS Markit.

This could be attributed to the Model S’ latest update to P100D guise in April, which brought with it updates including a revised Autopilot suite. The P100D gets its name from a 100 kWh battery pack, which increases its range to 613 km in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) cycle, or 507 km under the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) test.

Earlier, Tesla announced global delivery numbers for Q3 2016 and confirmed that it had delivered approximately 24,500 vehicles in that period, of which were 15,800 units of the Model S and 8,700 units of the Model X. “Our Q3 delivery count should be viewed as slightly conservative, as we only count a car as delivered if it is transferred to the customer and all paperwork is correct," said Tesla in a statement.

Tesla is producing and selling vehicles at a rate of 100,000 units a year, marking a five-fold increase over a three-year period, according to a report by Electrek. The American electric vehicle manufacturer has ambitious plans – it is aiming for another five-fold increase towards an annual vehicle production of 500,000 units within the first year of Model 3 production.