China: Tesla Model Y Outsells Model 3 By Over 5:1 In January 2022

Tesla increased sales of Made-in-China (MIC) electric cars in China in January, despite the month being focused on exports.

According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA)'s data, the company sold in China some 19,346 MIC cars (up 25% year-over-year) and exported 40,499.

* CPCA reports wholesale shipments, not registrations/customer deliveries.

The additional CPCA numbers for models reveal that the Tesla Model Y noted 16,358 sales in China (up almost 10 times compared to January 2021, when the production was ramping up).

It's a pretty strong result - the best among all-electric crossover/SUVs, and second only to the BYD Song (20,722). According to CnEVPost, the top-selling crossover/SUV in China - Great Wall Motor's Haval H6 - noted 33,318 units in January.

Let's recall that the Model Y was the best-selling plug-in crossover/SUV in 2021 (its initial year in China).

On the other hand, the MIC Tesla Model 3 sales were down 78% year-over-year to 2,988, which is a bit surprising, especially after a new record volume in December.

It means that the Tesla Model Y "outsells" the Model 3 over 5:1, but not necessarily because of the demand difference - it might be related also to other things, like the company's policy to produce/sell more Model Y (potential higher margin) or Model 3/Model Y production/export plan.

It will be very interesting to see at what ratio the Model 3 and Model Y sales will stabilize in China and globally, as the Model Y is clearly on a path of fast growth.

Once it is produced at two new plants (in Germany and Texas), and equipped with the latest 4680-type cylindrical battery cells, there is a potential to outsell the Model 3 quite significantly.

More sales reports

XPeng EV Sales More Than Doubled In January 2022 To Almost 13,000

NIO Reports 9,652 EV Sales In January 2022