Photo: Tesla (via @JayinShanghai)
Following a rumor that surfaced a few weeks ago saying that Tesla had sold 70,500 vehicles in China in December, Tesla’s actual sales numbers for December have come out and they’re even more record-breaking than most thought.
Tesla sold 70,847 Shanghai-produced EVs in December, according to data shared by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Tuesday (via Reuters).
The figure represents the largest monthly sales since Tesla’s factory in China first began production.
Tesla also nearly tripled its sales from last year’s December, with them also jumping 34 percent from the automaker’s November sales.
CATL’s New Facility Already Supplying Batteries to Tesla’s Shanghai Factory https://t.co/UqF2LA7bie
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) January 7, 2022
Throughout all of 2021, Tesla’s December performance would bring the company’s total sales to 473,078 units, based on calculations of the CPCA data for the year.
Managing Director at Beijing’s Sino Auto Insights Tu Le said that Tesla’s deliveries from the Shanghai Gigafactory in 2021 were “impressive,” pointing out that the automaker neared an average of 42,000 vehicles per month of output.
Le said, “They were well over that number in December. And this is despite the chip and battery shortages that other EV makers dealt with.”
As @Ray4Tesla points out, Tesla sales in China for December topped the affordable golf cart-like Wuling Mini for the first time, as the latter only sold 60,372 cars.
The Wuling MINI is made by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile (SGMW), which is a joint venture between SAIC Motor, General Motors, and Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co Ltd.
Tesla CN broke record again. It delivered 70,847 vehicles in December, surpassing Wuling MINI (60,372) for the 1st time. Bravo‼️
— Ray (@ray4tesla) January 11, 2022
Going into 2022, China has decreased its subsidy offered for new energy vehicles by about 30 percent, likely causing some EV automakers to have to sell their newest vehicles at a profit loss.
