China: MIC Tesla Sales Exceed 54,000 In October 2021

Tesla's overall sales/export of Made-in-China (MIC) Model 3/Model Y reached a near-record level in October.

The total volume (sales and export) - according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA)'s data (via Reuters, Moneyball and Chinese media) increased 348% year-over-year to 54,391 units.

* CPCA reports wholesale shipments, not registrations/deliveries.

Only the month of September was better, with 56,006 units, but the difference is small, which means that the Tesla Giga Shanghai plant continues to produce cars at its all-time high rate.

Only BYD achieved a higher volume in October - over 80,000 (more on that in a separate report).

Last month, only about 25% of the total Tesla volume was directed to Chinese customers. In total, the local sales amounted to about 13,725 (up 13% year-over-year) or roughly 25% of the total.

Year-to-date, Tesla has sold in China some 218,000 electric cars.

The majority of MIC Tesla cars were exported - a total of 40,666 units, according to the data, which is a new all-time monthly record.

Tesla's EV export is an order of magnitude higher than in the case of Chinese manufacturers.

Models

The previous month was a record high for local Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y sales, but in the export-oriented October, the volume will be much lower. Nonetheless, we guess that the Q4 results will be significantly higher than a year ago.

Update: Tesla MIC sales in China include 422 Model 3 (a big decrease from over 12,000 a year ago) and 13,303 Model Y. Year-to-date Tesla Model 3 is at 112,173 (#2 EV in China), while the Tesla Model Y is at 106,236 (#3 EV in China).

The month of November is also expected to be focused on exports, while in December we will probably see a high number of local deliveries.

More about Tesla in China

Watch Tesla's Captivating Video Inside Shanghai Robot Paint Shop