Electric Cars

Tesla sells one in three electric cars in China

Published by
Bridie Schmidt

Tesla sales in China are booming, with sales doubling from 2020 as the carmaker continues to lead the world’s largest EV market by volume.

The EV maker sold just shy of 70,000 electric cars in China in the first quarter of 2021 according to the Global Times, 37% of its sales globally in a quarter that is traditionally slow for the auto industry at large and doubly so in China due to its New Year shutdown.

With 226,000 “new energy vehicles”, as they are known in China, sold in March, this also means one in three was a Tesla.

And, half of these were sold in March. According to new figures from the China Passenger Car Association, Tesla sold 35,748 vehicles in March, almost double what it sold in February and more than 200% of what it sold in March 2020.

In its Q4 2020 reporting, Tesla said it had ramped up Model 3 production at its Shanghai gigafactory to more than 5,000 a week. The new sales figures show that it sold more than 25,000 Model 3s in March meaning that this may have exceeded 6,000 a week.

In addition to Model 3 sales, Tesla also sold a little more than 10,000 Model Ys, a 119% increase from February.

The strong sales results come off the back of a record quarter globally, with Tesla reporting in early April that it had delivered (and therefore recorded as a sale) 184,000 electric cars.

Most of these were its mass-market Model 3 and Model Y, as sales of its premium Model S and Model X slumped from around 20,000 to just a tenth of that ahead of model refreshes.

Following Tesla’s quarterly reporting, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said he expects Tesla’s annual sales to exceed 850,000 vehicles this year according to Reuters.

In part, Ives thinks Tesla’s potential output will be fuelled by the Biden administration’s policy of boosting the electric mobility transition, but China is also clearly a big part of the picture.

“We believe China and Europe were particularly robust this quarter,” Ives was quoted as saying.

With Shanghai’s Model Y gigafactory now online, Tesla says it has 450,000 current production capacity.

In Europe, where electric car sales are being driven by Germany, a similar trend is being reported: Tesla sales in Germany jumped by an incredible 80% in the first quarter of 2021.

Japan has also seen a massive jump in sales, with a price drop and boosted EV incentives bringing purchase costs for Tesla’s cheapest electric car under around $A40,000 converted. While actual sales numbers are still in the hundreds, sales have increased by a massive 1300% from 2020.

In Australia, Tesla sales doubled in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2020, with an estimated 2,200 vehicles shipped.

Recent Posts

Mini to launch two new variants of Cooper electric, with lower prices

A new model of the iconic Mini Cooper hatchback is announced, set to arrive locally…

March 28, 2024

Used Tesla Model 3 stock nearly at an all-time high

Used Tesla Model 3 stock across Australia rises as more buyers make the switch to…

March 28, 2024

RIP Volvo diesel cars: Last XC90 diesel rolls off production line

The last diesel-fuelled Volvo has rolled off the production line. Diesel cars accounted for most…

March 28, 2024

Genesis unveils electric SUV concept with swivel seats and no B-pillars

Luxury vehicle brand owned by Hyundai unveils two new concept vehicles, a first full-size electric…

March 28, 2024

Boys and their Tonka trucks: How fossil car companies sell highly polluting vehicles

Toxic marketing has caused Australia to become obsessed with overseas 4WDs, SUVs and overpowered utes?…

March 28, 2024

Will we make it? Canberra to the coast and back in a very short range Nissan Leaf EV

A new fast charger in Braidwood makes it possible to go from Canberra to the…

March 27, 2024