In January of this year, Tesla’s sales in China reached the lowest level in the last three years – 18,485 cars were sold there in the first month of the year, which is 45% less than in January a year ago, but this is the lowest one-month figure since November 2022.
Although seasonal fluctuations and a drop in sales volume in January are a normal phenomenon in the Chinese market, such a large drop compared to January of the previous year is, of course, not a usual standard situation.
If we look at the numbers, 69,129 cars were produced at the Tesla factory in Shanghai, but more than 50 thousand of these cars were exported to other countries. Although the export figures are good, Tesla cannot be happy with the results in the Chinese market, the largest car market in the world.
The ever-popular Tesla Model Y has fallen to the 20th place in the list of best-selling cars in the Chinese market, while the Xiaomi YU7, which is considered to be a direct competitor of the Model Y, is in the leading position.
It should be noted that December last year was Tesla’s best month since the company has been working in China, delivering almost 94 thousand cars. Customers rushed to buy cars before the 5% purchase tax on electric cars came into effect. This partly, but not entirely, explains such a large drop in January.
There is also a fairly significant drop in the overall market – compared to January of last year, 20% fewer electric cars were sold. Tesla has also offered a lot of promotions in the Chinese market – interest-free leasing, various subsidies and other things to attract customers, but this has not stopped the decline.
date:2026-02-14 10:00:00