America’s Tesla Model Y retail sales reached 54,937 units in China in March 2023. That figure ultimately defended its spot as the top-selling SUVs in the world’s largest auto market, per China Passenger Car Association’s (CPCA) data on April 11.
Tesla traditionally delivers more EVs to Chinese customers at the end of each quarter. Therefore, the strong Q1 2023 results for the SUV segment are not that surprising.
Tesla Model Y grew 38% YoY in March
Chinese EV news platform disclosed that Tesla’s Model Y sales increased 38.28% year-on-year (YoY) from just 39,730 units a year ago. It also indicates a month-on-month growth of 115.22% from 25,526 units a month ago.
That significant sales growth strengthened Tesla Model Y’s position as the leading SUV in the Chinese market in March. China’s BYD Song followed it with retail sales of 40,114 units.
Meanwhile, Model Y’s sibling Model 3 ranked fifth with retail sales of 21,726 units, down 16.52% YoY. YTD sold 42,782 units, up 27.3% YoY.
Year-to-date rankings, Tesla landed second
However, Tesla Model Y drops to the second spot on the year-to-date rankings. Tesla’s e-SUV reported retail sales of 94,647 units, up 26.7% YoY.
Its closest rival, BYD Song, continues to dominate the YTD rankings with sales of 141,415 units (up 91.9% YoY).
Another BYD model Yuan Plus claimed the third spot with retail sales of 62,528 from January to March.
Attached to the Tweet below are the top-selling 15 SUVs in China YTD:
Overall, Tesla reported deliveries of 76,663 units in March, with 12,206 being exported. Notably, Gigafactory Shanghai normally dedicates the first half of each quarter to concentrating on exports before spending the second half working on the domestic market.
