The Ford F-Series pickup has been America’s best-selling vehicle for over four decades. But America isn’t the world.
A new study says the planet’s most-produced vehicle in 2023 was the Tesla Model Y. Tesla built more than a million Model Y SUVs worldwide last year – the only model to cross the 7-figure threshold.
Inovev, a French firm that studies global automotive data, says Tesla built more copies of its affordable SUV than any other automaker built of any vehicle. The F-150 came in third on the list.
The difference is one of markets. The F-150 sells well at home. The Model Y sells briskly in many countries.
Tesla builds the Y in four factories across Asia, Europe, and North America. It sells well on all three continents and in Australia. Tesla recently opened its first South American store in Chile, so more growth could be coming.
The F-150 sells reasonably well in South America, but most sales occur in the U.S. and Canada.
America’s appetite for full-size trucks is unique in the world. Increasingly, automakers chase profits with smaller SUVs that also sell well outside the U.S. The planet’s second most-produced vehicle was the Toyota RAV4.
Toyota’s compact SUV nearly knocked a full-size truck off the sales podium last year, narrowly losing the third-place slot in American sales to the Ram 1500. The Chevrolet Silverado claimed second place, giving full-size trucks a 1-2-3 finish.
The Model Y, meanwhile, may not sit at the top for long. Tesla sales have been slipping in China as Chinese drivers snap up models produced by Chinese-owned companies. China became the world’s largest exporter of cars in 2023, and China’s BYD knocked Tesla off its perch as the largest EV builder.
Global Production Numbers By Model
Toyota has its finger on the pulse of worldwide taste more than any other automaker, with four of the top ten global models.
| Model | Number Built Globally in 2023 |
| Tesla Model Y | 1,137,885 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 989,517 |
| Ford F-Series | 933,198 |
| Toyota Corolla | 869,228 |
| Honda CR-V | 679,832 |
| Ram 1500 | 651,581 |
| Toyota Hilux | 646,975 |
| Toyota Camry | 645,915 |
| BYD Song | 645,264 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 636,519 |
