Toyota RAV4 It was a bit of a surprise when the Tesla Model Y was crowned the world’s best-selling car back in 2023. It’s a popular model in the US, for sure, but it was further helped by sales in Europe, along with an emerging market in Asia. But, as we all know, Tesla is in a bit of a rough patch at the moment, and one could say that the actions of its CEO have had an effect. With that, the Model Y has slipped back into second place and the Toyota RAV4 has reclaimed its title. PHOTO BY Niky Tamayo After months of digging up every possible bit of sales data around the world, car industry analyst Jose Muñoz finally has the results for the 2024 global auto sales. Muñoz has been compiling such data for several years now, and his findings have been on point since. OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Here’s your first glimpse of the all-new MG ZS Hybrid+ ahead of its July 3 launch So, how many units of the Toyota RAV4 were shifted last year? The magic number is 1,187,000, posting an increase of 11%. That’s impressive given the fact that this generation of RAV4 is set to be retired with the sixth-generation that made its debut this year. PHOTO BY TopGear.com It’s a win for Toyota, then, but it’s actually not by much. Per the data, Model Y sales in 2024 totaled 1,185,000–a drop of 3% and just 2,000 units separating the top-two places. Mind you, the current controversies surrounding the company’s CEO wasn’t in play last year as much as today. A good reason for the dip is the transition to the new Juniper model. Unsurprisingly, Toyota models make a good chunk of the world’s top-ten best-sellers. The Japanese automaker takes up half the list with the Corolla Cross, Corolla, Hilux, and Camry alongside the RAV4. As for Tesla, it can take solace in the fact that Model 3 sales went up by 10% last year, retaining its spot in the top ten. ILLUSTRATION: Andrew Guerrero It will be interesting to see how the 2025 sales race pans out this year. Tesla had a bit of a slow start, while Toyota has been steady. Both the RAV4 and Model Y were heavily redesigned, too. With that, these new crossovers have to hit the right notes if they want to keep the top two spots. See Also