US company Tesla announced that it sold a record 1.3 million electric vehicles last year, however, sales were lower than promised by CEO Elon Musk, who aimed to increase sales by almost 50 percent each year .
The 2022 figure surpassed the previous record of 936,000 vehicles sold in 2021, but fell short of the 1.4 million needed to meet the company’s 50 percent growth target.
Sales were up 40 percent over the previous year, while production was up 47 percent, to 1.37 million.
The target was not met despite strong year-end sales growth that included rare US$7,500 rebates on the best-selling Y and 3 models.
Tesla Inc., based in Austin, Texas, was also forced to deal with a new wave of coronavirus infections in China, which halted production at its factory in Shanghai.
“Thank you to all our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and supporters for helping us deliver a great 2022 in light of significant challenges throughout the year,” the electric vehicle and solar panel company said.
Tesla didn’t launch any new models last year as it faces growing competition from older automakers and startups like Lucid and Rivian, which are constantly introducing new electric vehicle models.