In a surprising turn of events that not a lot of people saw coming this quickly, the Tesla Model S has shaken up the establishment after outselling some of its German rivals in Europe in 2017. The sudden twist comes as a surprise to a lot of people, even to those who have been bullish on the Model S’ ability to compete against models like the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class, and Audi A8. It’s one thing to outsell these luxury sedans in the U.S. because that’s already happening. But over in Europe, where these German titans are supposed to hold court? Big difference.

Market researcher JATO Dynamics revealed Tesla’s surprising sales surge in Europe. According to the company’s figures, sales of the Model S in the Old Continent spiked 30 percent to 16,132 units in 2017. That total is a few car-lengths ahead of the Mercedes S-Class, which saw sales grow three percent to 13,359 units and a long way ahead of the BMW 7 Series, which saw a 13-percent tumble in sales with 11,375 units sold. The numbers are telling considering that it wasn’t that long when these same European automakers were thumbing their nose at Tesla’s vision of an all-electric car grabbing a foothold in this segment.

Felipe Munoz, an analyst with market researchers JATO Dynamics, told Autonews that this is not something that companies like BMW and Mercedes can brush aside anymore. "This is an alarm for the traditional automakers such as Mercedes,” he said. “It says a smaller but smarter brand such as Tesla can beat them at home.”

Tesla’s success in Europe isn’t just limited to the Model S as even the Model X has taken the market by storm. Sales of the electric SUV reached 12,000 units in 2017, a figure that put it on equal terms with the Porsche Cayenne, arguably the most popular premium SUV in the market today, and well ahead of the BMW X6, which sold around 10,000 units last year.

To no one’s surprise, Norway contributed the most to Tesla’s success story in Europe last year. Sales of EVs in the country spiked to record highs in 2017, opening up a staggering 52-percent market share in the country.

As trends go, Tesla’s appeal in Europe should only increase over time. That’s why, according to Munoz, the European automakers need to act fast to get back pieces of that market share pie. “European automakers need to address electrification faster because customers are showing more and more interest in such vehicles and it seems that the traditional industry "can't deliver on time," he said.

References

Read our full review on the 2017 Tesla Model S.

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