The Toyota Prius has been the perennial best seller for green-minded drivers, but the Tesla Model S is stealing buyers from the Japanese hybrid. Even though many Tesla buyers come from German luxury brands, the Model S is attracting most of its customers from Toyota.
As a new brand, Tesla has to pull from a pool of established buyers, and Toyota is one of the top-three best-selling car brands around the world every year. But the natural competitors from the Tesla Model S are built by brands like Mercedes and BMW, which make up 10.6% and 10.2% of Tesla sales, respectively. This has helped Tesla sales climb ahead of these old luxury marques in progressive places like California.
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