Tesla has been exporting a significant portion of its China-made electric vehicles to its other foreign markets. Nonetheless, its Chinese arm managed to report an 8% week-on-week growth in insurance registrations to 8,100 units from October 16 to 22.
As Teslarati noted, Tesla China does not disclose its weekly sales records. That said, the industry relies on vehicle insurance registration data to determine the American electric automaker’s sales performance in the world’s largest auto market.
Data from industry watchers and local brands like Li Auto also aid in tracking the progress of the country’s new energy vehicle insurance registrations.
Tesla China’s vehicle insurance registrations in October
Tesla China’s vehicle insurance registrations reached 1,000 units in the first week of the month, October 2-8, 2023.
On October 9-15, the electric vehicle giant recorded a total of 7,500 insurance registrations.
In the most recent week alone, Tesla China achieved 8,100 insurance registrations.
Overall, it has already recorded approximately 16,600 vehicle insurance registrations in October so far.
Gigafactory Shanghai’s production prowess
The Gigafactory Shanghai’s remarkable EV production prowess made it Tesla’s main export hub. It is currently the only Tesla factory capable of producing Model 3 Highland.
That said, Gigafactory Shanghai is expected to become busier in Q4 to fulfill global orders for the revamped Model 3.
Tesla Model 3 Highland’s shipments to other foreign markets can be seen in the latest drone videos taken from Shanghai Nangang Terminal. For those unaware, it serves as Tesla’s preparation site where it gathers the models for exports.
Brand rankings (Oct 16-22)
Below are the top-selling brands in the NEV segment from October 16 to 22:
| Brands | Sales |
| BYD* | 51,700 |
| Wuling | 9,400 |
| GAC Aion | 9,100 |
| Li Auto** | 9,000 |
| Tesla | 8,100 |
| Volkswagen | 5,400 |
| XPeng | 4,700 |
| Nio | 4,400 |
| Deepal* | 3,700 |
| Leapmotor | 3,700 |
BYD’s significant lead is unsurprising, considering its wide range of NEV models (plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles). In contrast, Tesla is an all-electric brand selling only two models in the local market, including the e-sedan Model 3 and e-crossover Model Y.
See Also:
Tesla sold a total of 74,073 China-made EVs in September, according to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data. Of that total, local sales accounted for 43,507 units, while exports contributed 30,566 units.
