Tesla Outpaces Mercedes-Benz in Q3 Global Sales
(MENAFN) Elon Musk’s Tesla has surpassed German luxury giant Mercedes-Benz in worldwide vehicle sales for the third quarter of 2025, as confirmed by the companies' latest quarterly reports. Musk highlighted the achievement in a post on X Tuesday, noting this marked the first time Tesla outsold the century-old automaker.
Between July and September, Tesla delivered a record 497,099 vehicles globally, shattering its previous best set in late 2024. Mercedes-Benz reported sales of 441,500 vehicles for the same period—a 12% decline year-over-year. In key markets, Mercedes saw U.S. sales fall 17% and China sales drop 27%.
Tesla’s Q3 performance represents a 29% rise from 384,122 units sold in Q2 and a 7% increase over the same quarter last year. This was also Tesla’s first quarter of year-over-year growth in 2025.
Musk reposted a summary highlighting Tesla's lead of 55,599 vehicles, or 12.6%, over Mercedes in Q3. The post pointed out that “Mercedes built its first car back in 1901, while Tesla debuted just 21 years ago, in 2004.”
Mercedes attributed its sales decline to import tariffs imposed during Donald Trump’s presidency and intensifying competition in China, where local brands like BYD and Xiaomi are gaining traction with cost-effective electric vehicles packed with features.
Tesla’s strong Q3 results triggered a stock surge last week, briefly propelling Musk’s net worth to $500.8 billion, per Forbes’ real-time billionaire tracker, making him the first person ever to surpass a half-trillion-dollar fortune.
However, analysts warn that Tesla’s sales boost may be short-lived. Experts suggest much of the demand stemmed from U.S. consumers rushing to buy before the $7,500 federal tax credit expired on September 30. This incentive, launched under President Joe Biden’s administration in 2022, was eliminated by Trump’s subsequent spending and tax legislation. Industry watchers caution that the credit’s removal could dampen Tesla’s sales momentum in the near term. Year-to-date, Tesla’s sales remain down 6% compared to 2024.
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