Tesla China-Made EV Wholesale Sales Increased In May 2023
Sales of Tesla Model 3/Model Y electric cars in China and exports from China remain very stable this year.
According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA)’s initial data, the overall wholesale vehicle shipments (local retail sales and export) last month amounted to 77,695 units. That’s a slightly higher result than in April (75,842).
Compared to the previous year, when China was affected by a lockdown, the volume more than doubled (up by 142 percent year-over-year).
* CPCA reports wholesale shipments, not registrations/customer deliveries.
Such a high growth rate is obviously not expected to be repeated later this year (maybe beside of July, which was slower due to the plant upgrade).
During the first five months of the year, the total wholesale sales amounted to over 382,000, which is 77 percent more than a year ago at this point.
This brings us to an average monthly volume of 76,500 or so. It seems that the Tesla Giga Shanghai plant has engaged a cruise speed.
We guess that such volume should be possible to maintain, as the cars from China are now sold also in Canada. The Chinese media reports suggest that as many as several thousand units might be exported this quarter.
The question is whether Tesla will also introduce something new, like the rumored refreshed Tesla Model 3 Highland version. It would potentially boost sales (like all new products), at least after the ramp-up phase.
At the time of this report, there are no detailed results of retail sales in China, export or individual model sales. They are usually available a week later.
Through April, Tesla sold locally more than 177,000 MIC electric cars in China, which is 61 percent more than a year ago. In other words, the volume continues to increase after the price reduction was applied in January.
Through April, Tesla exported more than 127,000 MIC cars from China, which is 73 percent more than a year ago.