All the automakers released December sales figures and the big story is car sales are down. Well, that is if you’re watching, reading, or listening to the usual suspects who’ve been predicting Tesla’s demise for years.
The real story is that Tesla’s growth is not only spectacular for the company, but it has completely bucked the trend of the auto industry by recording positive year-over-year sales while all the others declined.
Tesla’s year-over-year sales in the United States were up 77.51%, while Honda was down 33.42%, Nissan was down 24.5%, Volkswagen was down 24.24% and the list, compiled by goodcarbadcar.net, goes on and on.
Tesla Makes Gain Globally
It’s not just big gains States-side but also in the land down under. Tesla’s Model 3 is Australia’s best-selling vehicle in the mid-size segment. It’s the first time in 28 years the Toyota Camry didn’t win this category. Tesla nearly doubled its sales in Australia year-over-year, launching into a considerable lead over the legacy car - the Camry. Electric vehicle sales grew by 549% from 2021 to 2022.
The Model Y came in sixth for new car sales in the United States last year. But, it’s the only vehicle in the top ten that increased sales; the Ford F-Series is the leader, but it’s down 10%. The Toyota Camry didn’t just lose momentum in Australia; it’s down more than 5% since last year, now in fifth, behind the Toyota RAV4 which also lost more than 10% in year-over-year sales. The Honda CR-V, a direct competitor of the RAV4 and the Model Y, dropped 34% in year-over-year sales.
Tesla Bucks the Trend
Talking heads and so-called experts are coming up with every excuse for the overall drop in car sales. Inflation is stifling growth, people didn’t drive much over the past couple of years and didn’t need new cars, and more economic uncertainty is on the horizon. Yes, all of these may be true, but they don’t explain Tesla’s colossal gains in 2022. While people may be fearful of all those factors, it didn’t stop buyers from ordering Tesla and waiting months to pay top dollar for the latest cutting-edge technology to be delivered.
There is another reason to add to the overall car sales slump. Buyers are no longer interested in fossil fuel-burning vehicles; they see the trend toward electric vehicles and the positives of the EV sector. Therefore, they are waiting for that new car purchase, possibly for the brand they are familiar with to produce more EVs, or maybe they are waiting for more charging stations. Whatever it is, these numbers just don’t fit the anti-Tesla narrative. A storyline this company has been rewriting since day one.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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