In China, the Tesla Model Y became an overnight success in 2023, selling 456,394 units domestically. That represents a 44.74% rise from the previous year. Additionally, it surpasses the total sales of Tesla in 2019, when the manufacturer of electric vehicles sold about 367,500 cars worldwide.
China has long been a big fan of the Model Y, as demonstrated in December 2023. Domestic sales of the Model Y increased by 20.41% to 60,055 units during the month from 49,877 units sold the month before. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the Model Y’s domestic sales in December 2023 also mark a 104.36% year-over-year rise from the 29,387 units that were sold in December 2022.
According to a CNEV Post report, it was not surprising that the all-electric crossover accounted for 79.22% of Tesla’s domestic sales in December given the Model Y’s stellar performance in China. To put things in perspective, Tesla China recorded retail sales of 75,805 cars in December.
But the Model 3 sedan is still relevant despite the Model Y’s impressive performance in the Chinese domestic market. The all-electric car continued to be exported to other countries in December. Therefore, during the month, just 15,750 copies were sold domestically. Accordingly, in December 2023, the Model 3 constituted 20.78% of the electric vehicle manufacturer’s retail sales in China.
In the Chinese domestic market, the Tesla Model 3 saw sales of 147,270 units in 2023, a rise of 18.33% from the previous year. Compared to the Model Y’s numbers, this improvement might not seem like much, but it should be remembered that the Model 3’s sales in China were discontinued when Tesla switched Giga Shanghai over to the Model 3 Highland production line.
94,139 Giga Shanghai-built cars were sold by Tesla China in December, 18,334 of which were exported, according to CPCA data. Over half of the electric car maker’s global 2023 sales were made in China, where total sales for the whole year 2023 were 947,742 units.
