Tesla (TSLA) achieves record deliveries in China, but reportedly slows down output [Updated]

Tesla (TSLA) achieved record deliveries and exports in China in November with over 100,000 China-made vehicles in a single month.

However, reports are suggesting that Tesla is now slowing down its production output at Gigafactory Shanghai due to lower demand in China.

Update: Tesla China is now denying the reports of production slow down in Shanghai.

The China Passenger Car Association released its November data and confirmed that Tesla delivered 100,291 China-made cars in November.

That’s a significant new output capacity out of Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai.

Output is up almost 90% year-over-year and 40% month-over-month.

It should have been good news for Tesla this morning, but the company’s stock (TSLA) is down in pre-market trading because the release of the November data was accompanied by two reports claiming that Tesla is cutting down the output in December due to lower demand in China.

Bloomberg reported:

The output cuts will take effect as soon as this week, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. They estimate the move could reduce production by about 20%.

Reuters also came out with a similar report based on its own source – though it also references Bloomberg‘s report.

The publications are linking the reduction in planned production output out of Gigafactory Shanghai to Tesla’s demand in China softening.

We reported in October that Tesla reduced the price of the Model 3 and Model Y in China and launched a new referral program – a first sign that demand wasn’t where Tesla needed it to be.

Later, the automaker also launched a new cash rebate with its insurance partners in China.

The moves led to several reports last month claiming that Tesla’s Chinese demand was significantly down, but the automaker tried to squash the rumors.

City Dwellers’s Take

Gigafactory Shanghai now officially has an output of 100,000 electric vehicles per month, which is absolutely insane. That’s 1.2 million vehicles per year virtually two years after starting production.

It would be a bummer if it had to already throttle that capacity down due to demand.

But I’d take the reports with a grain of salt. When it comes to China, we have seen the information get quite murky before it arrives here.

With that said, there have been some clear signs of Tesla trying to create more demand in China. Therefore, it’s not impossible that it is having some demand issues in the country at the moment. Enough to cut production by 20%? Production it could also export to other markets? I don’t know.