When Your Own AI Calls You Out
There's something deliciously ironic about claiming victory only to have your own artificial intelligence politely suggest you might want to check your math. That's essentially what happened when Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk declared the Model Y the world's bestselling vehicle for the third consecutive year.
"Tesla Model Y is now officially the world's best-selling car for the third year in a row!" Musk tweeted. Tesla's official X account echoed the claim in a year-end video review.
But when curious users asked Grok—the AI chatbot from Musk's xAI—to verify this claim, things got awkward fast.
"Tesla claims in their 2025 recap that the Model Y is the world's best-selling vehicle for the third year. However, independent analyses from Focus2Move (YTD Oct) and projections from Electrek estimate Toyota RAV4 with ~1.2M units, Model Y with ~1.02M. Final global data will confirm in months," Grok responded.
The RAV4 Reality Check
According to Grok's analysis, the Model Y didn't just lose its crown in 2025—it may have lost it in 2024 as well. The AI suggests that Toyota Motor Corp (TM)'s RAV4 has been the actual bestseller, with the Model Y potentially sliding to third place behind both the RAV4 and Toyota Corolla. Data from Kelley Blue Book supports this, listing the RAV4 as the top-selling vehicle for 2024.
Even more concerning for Tesla bulls: Grok's data shows Model Y sales declining 11% to 13% globally year-over-year in 2025.
"The Model Y's peak dominance was really just 2023, with 2024 contested and 2025 clearly not in its favor," Grok noted, though the AI did acknowledge the Model Y remains "still an incredible success story" for the EV market.
To be fair, the Model Y has genuinely broken impressive ground. It became the first electric vehicle to ever top the year-end global sales list and remains the bestselling electric vehicle of all time. Those are real achievements worth celebrating. But "bestselling EV" and "bestselling vehicle period" are very different claims.
Delivery Data Could Settle the Debate
Tesla is expected to report fourth-quarter deliveries later this week, which could provide more clarity—or more confusion—around these competing claims. Tesla typically reports Model Y and Model 3 figures together, which makes precise Model Y sales tracking a bit murky.
Investor Gene Munster expects Tesla to report fourth-quarter deliveries around 415,000 units. That would represent a 16% year-over-year decline and fall short of the Street consensus estimate of approximately 449,000 units.
The comparison is particularly striking given Tesla's record third-quarter performance of 497,099 deliveries. But that surge was likely driven by the U.S. federal tax credit expiring on September 30, creating a pull-forward effect. Tesla delivered 495,570 vehicles in last year's fourth quarter, so Munster's estimates suggest a meaningful slowdown.
The skepticism in response to Musk's claim isn't entirely surprising. Tesla has faced well-documented challenges in 2025, with some consumers distancing themselves from the brand due to Musk's public persona, while others have opted for cheaper vehicles from Chinese competitors. That context makes the "third year in a row" victory lap feel premature at best.
It will be fascinating to see whether Tesla and Musk continue claiming the Model Y's bestseller status as more comprehensive data becomes available in the coming months. Final global sales figures typically take time to compile, but when your own AI is already raising red flags, doubling down might not be the smartest strategy.