Tesla under pressure! Ford and Hyundai EVs starting to grow in Tesla's mirrors in the US

Tesla may have disrupted the global new car market with its aggressive electric vehicle push. But the automotive giants it caught napping have started to wake up and get their EV running shoes on.

This week, Ford in the US released its domestic sales results for September, and despite a modest downturn in deliveries of its internal combustion models, sales across its all-electric trio of Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, and E-Transit are rapidly building momentum.

Obviously, the relatively recent addition of the F-150 Lightning pick-up and E-Transit van has boosted the blue oval’s zero-emissions firepower, with its EV sales up no less than 197.3 per cent year-on-year. But demand for the now well-established Mustang Mach-E SUV is still growing with 2324 units sold in September, a 47 per cent increase on the same month in 2021.

To put that number in perspective Tesla has averaged around 15,000 Model 3s and 18,000 Model Ys per month so far in 2022 in the US. Ford’s EV total for September… 4691.

But, just as Tesla has built its production capability in the US, China and Europe at break-neck speed, Ford is planning to dramatically ramp up its EV supply with the aim of hitting an annual run-rate of 600,000 by the end of 2023, then two million by 2026.

Ford says it has secured enough battery supply (60GWh) to match its 600,000 output ambition, with around 70 per cent of the required cells lined up to feed its five-year, two million-unit target.

At the same time, across its Genesis, Hyundai and Kia brands, the Hyundai Motor Group is making inroads on Tesla in its home market, now sitting in second position for EV sales, accounting for a combined 9.4 per cent share, against Ford’s 7.3 per cent in third spot. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 in particular continues to capture strong interest.

Choice for Aussie EV buyers is building by the day, with virtually every brand represented here having recently introduced EV models, or about to pull the covers off a new electric arrival. Not to mention a stream of new brands from China and elsewhere heading our way soon. But Tesla still dominates.

In fact, the Model 3 outsold the once all-conquering Toyota Camry as the country’s top-selling medium sedan in September by a factor of almost three-to-one.

Ford America has a sold a total of 4691 EVs in the month of September.

And the new Model Y was snapping at the heels of Toyota’s market-leading HiLux (5170 units) and Ford’s second-placed new-generation Ranger (4890), in a close third spot in the overall best-seller race for the month (4359).

That one-two punch placed Tesla in seventh place as a brand on the sales charts ahead of Top 10 regulars Volkswagen, MG, and Subaru.

They say the wolf on top of the hill isn’t as hungry as others climbing it, and with everyone from Subaru and Toyota, to Hyundai, Kia, and VW about to pull the EV lever even harder, Tesla will need to stay on its toes.

But it would take a brave punter to bet against the ongoing impact of the Tesla juggernaut on Australian new car registrations. Looking back on the market at this time in 2023 will be fascinating.