On July 4, Gasgoo noted that data from market research firm JATO Dynamics showed that in 2024, the Toyota RAV4 narrowly surpassed the Tesla Model Y to become the world’s highest-selling model.
According to the data, the Toyota RAV4 surpassed the Tesla Model Y with a slight lead of less than 3,000 units and became the new global sales champion.
Global sales of the RAV4 in 2024 will be about 1.187 million units, an increase of 11% year-on-year; Tesla Model Y sold about 1.185 million units worldwide, down 3% year-on-year.
This is a great achievement for Toyota, as 2024 is the last full sales year for the current model. Despite the launch of the facelift in early 2025, the Model Y’s performance in 2024 is still quite solid.
Source: Toyota
In April this year, Gasgoo learned that foreign media reported that Toyota was considering producing the next generation of its best-selling RAV4 SUV in the United States. The move will make Toyota the latest automaker to adjust its global supply chain layout due to U.S. tariffs on imported vehicles.
Toyota currently produces current models of the popular SUV in Kentucky, Canada, and Japan. Toyota originally planned to export the new RAV4 from Canada and Japan to the United States, but is now considering production in Kentucky, people familiar with the matter said.
Another person familiar with the matter said that Toyota plans to launch a fully facelifted 2026 RAV4 in the second half of this year, which is the first comprehensive facelift since the release of the fifth-generation model in 2019, and will gradually be launched in different markets around the world. However, Toyota has not yet announced the specific timing of the launch of the model in the United States.
In addition, overall, five of the top ten models are from Toyota. Tesla Model 3 ranked ninth, selling about 560,000 units last year, a year-on-year increase of 10%. BYD Qin was also on the list, ranking tenth, with sales of about 502,000 last year, a year-on-year increase of 6%.
