3 Big Tesla Achievements in China — Clearly Plenty of Demand

Tesla is starting the week after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday with several achievements in China. These achievements are especially notable since they show Tesla is still in high demand in the world’s most populous country.

With over 1.4 billion people living in China and a fairly good economy, China is also the largest vehicle market in the world, but it is hard for foreigners to enter. Sustainability-focused Tesla is extremely popular there, though.

From 2000–2016, around 1.5 to 2.2 million Chinese a year died from air pollution, and a 2019 study showed that the problem has been growing as the economy grows. This is why Tesla’s achievements in China are notable and should be celebrated.

Here’s a quick look at Tesla’s achievements in China from just over the weekend:

• China-made Model Y sales began in China.
• Tesla’s 500th Supercharger in China was installed.
• Tesla is investing $6.4 million into a Supercharger factory near Giga Shanghai.

Green Light To Sell Model Y

Tesla has been given the green light to start selling its made-in-China Model Y in China, Reuters just confirmed. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published the approval on its website in the wee hours of Monday (wee hours for us here in the U.S). Tesla is now selling its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles made at Giga Shanghai in China, and at least the Model 3 a bit beyond.

An hour or so before Reuters confirmed the news, Tesmanian broke the story and noted that MIIT included the domestic Model Y in a new list of new energy vehicles that are exempt from the vehicle purchase tax. Also noted was the recommendation for the promotion and application of new energy vehicles this year. In short, all of that means the Model Y is now legally for sale in China and new owners will receive a tax exemption on their purchase.

China Loves Tesla

In the tweet above, Ray4Tesla pointed out that a Chinese blogger visiting the Tesla booth during the Guangzhou Auto Show noted that Tesla had the busiest booth despite the absence of the made-in-China Model Y. Ray also pointed out that the small SUV segment is the fastest-growing segment in China. When asked why he thought it was the fastest-growing segment, Ray speculated that utility, practicality, and safety were the reasons most appreciated benefits there.

High Demand For Tesla In China

Benzinga also noted that Wedbush Securities issued a new report on Tesla and stated that Tesla’s heavy growth will come from Europe and the US but especially China. In the case of China, Wedbush stated that 40% of Tesla’s sales in 2022 could be in China.

The news of Tesla China’s Chengdu Longquan Delivery Center recently opening will improve Tesla’s delivery process for the Sichuan Province and surrounding areas. Clearly, Tesla would not be opening more delivery centers like this if it didn’t see large and growing demand. The tweet below, also from Jay in Shanghai, beautifully captures the excitement around the Tesla brand in China, and also shares that the new Chengdu BinJiang Paradise Walk Experience Store has just had its grand opening.

Tesla’s 500th Supercharger In China

To close out this news frenzy, Tesla informed us that it just opened its 500th Supercharger in China. Tesla China shared this news on Twitter and noted that Tesla had just one Supercharger in April 2014 and 100 in July 2016. From 2016 through the end of 2019, Tesla has added another 200 Superchargers in China, and then it added 200 more in 2020!

Tesla is also investing 42 million yuan ($6.4 million) to produce up to 10,000 new Superchargers in China per year.

The new factory to make Tesla’s third generation of ultrafast chargers, V3 Superchargers, will be near Giga Shanghai. Tesla expects the completion of the new factory sometime in the first quarter of 2021.

Tesla’s presence and achievements in China will only continue to grow and help improve air quality there. Getting people excited about electric cars, clean tech, and sustainability is what Tesla does best.