Tesla Model 3 sales have broken records in December.

It’s been a long road for the Tesla Model 3. For the first half of the year, it almost seemed like Tesla wouldn’t make it as they struggled to break the 5,000 car per week barrier. Debt was piling up and formerly enthusiastic Tesla buyers were canceling their orders by the thousand as delay after delay hit the manufacturer.

But Tesla muddled through. They finally built more than 5,000 Model 3s in a week last June. That number has only climbed higher since then.

Quality problems remain of course. A recent YouTube video showed massive inconsistencies with body panels and even a car that arrived with scratched and dinged paint. Model 3 owners are also finding their cars struggling with the extreme cold of winter, with doors and door handles freezing shut and preventing drivers from accessing their rides.

But this hasn’t seemed to slow down Tesla’s sales at all. According to InsideEVs, the Tesla Model 3 has just enjoyed its highest selling month ever, not just for the car but for all electric cars in the United States.

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Last month, Tesla was estimated to have sold 25,250 Model 3s. That number is excluding Canada, so the final total could be a few hundred higher (unfortunately, Canada isn’t a big electric car buyer yet).

Model 3
via Motor Trend

The increase in sales is apparent if you look at the Model 3. In June, the manufacturer managed to sell just 6,000 or so, but that number took a huge leap in July to 14,250. In August, they sold 17,800, and September was the previous record holder at 22,250. October saw a seasonal dip back down to 17,750, and November was at 18,650.

That brings total Model 3 sales for 2018 to 139,782. Compare that to the next highest-selling electric car, the Nissan Leaf, which sold 30,200 cars in 2014, and you get a sense for how big a hit the Model 3 really is.

We might see sales slow down just a bit as government tax credits disappear, but it looks like the electric car has finally arrived, and Tesla is leading the charge in a big way.

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