OSLO -- Sales of electric cars in Norway rose by 48 percent last year, ensuring that almost two out of every three new vehicles were battery powered and making Tesla the top selling brand.
Seeking to become the first nation to end the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by 2025, oil-producing Norway exempts full-electric vehicles from taxes imposed on models using internal combustion engines.
Tesla took an 11.5 percent share of the overall car market, making it the number one brand for the first time on a full-year basis ahead of Volkswagen with 9.4 percent.
The U.S. automaker on Sunday reported record quarterly deliveries that far exceeded Wall Street estimates, riding out global chip shortages as it ramped up China production.
The Tesla Model 3 was the single most popular model of the year ahead of Toyota's hybrid RAV4, the only car among the top 10 with an internal combustion engine, with VW's electric ID4 in third place.
