Tesla Model 3 regains title as best-selling EV in China

Tesla Model 3 reclaimed the title as the best selling in the Chinese market from the BYD Qin Pro all-electric sedan.

Tesla sold 11,095 Model 3s in China in May, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), a government organization that tracks the production and sales figures of motor vehicles in China.

The vast sales figures are attributed to reduced prices of Model 3, which Tesla used to help its sedan qualify for Chinese government subsidies.

After a strong sales figure in March, with 10,160 Model 3s sold in China, the number of vehicles sold dropped in April to 3,63 as buyers waited for expected price reductions ahead.

BREAKING: Passenger Vehicle Aasociation released NEV sales report & 11095 MIC M3s were sold in May, 205% jump MoM. Model 3 regained the title of best selling NEV in . Elsewhere, I heard the sales of MIC M3 for June will be mind blowing, estimated to reach 20k if not more. pic.twitter.com/ZFi2kReigO

— Ray4⃣Tesla (@ray4tesla) June 8, 2020

Tesla announced that its Model 3 Standard Range would be receiving a price drop to under ¥300,000 ($42,433 USD) at ¥291,800 ($41,273 USD), to qualify for government incentives that would save consumers around ¥30,000 ($4,243 USD). After incentives and the 10% discount of the vehicle itself, the price stood at ¥271,550 ($38,409 USD).

Tesla had announced the price reduction for the Model 3 Standard Range+ in China during its Q1 2020 Earnings Call in late April.

“We are making rapid progress on lowering the production cost in China, and we’re actually excited to announce on this call that we will be reducing the price of the Standard Range Model 3 basically tomorrow China time,” CEO Elon Musk said during the call.

The Chinese Government had announced in April that electric vehicle subsidies would be extended for two years. While this news was fantastic for the future of sustainable transport, Tesla had to adapt because none of their vehicles qualified for the local subsidies.

After the price reduction for the Model 3 was announced, many consumers most likely held off on buying the vehicle. The decision to wait just a few days would save them around 10% of the total vehicle cost, which is probably the reason for the slump in sales figures for April.

The reduced prices of the Model 3 contributed to the increased sales figures for May. With the combination of lower prices and industry-leading technology of Tesla’s electric vehicles becoming more popular in China, consumers have decided to purchase the company’s cars because they have become more affordable. The decreased prices will continue to help with the demand for Tesla’s Model 3, which has been one of China’s most popular vehicles since its first deliveries in January 2020.

Currently, Giga Shanghai is producing 200,000 vehicles a year, according to Tesla’s Q1 2020 Update Letter. This number will inevitably increase in the future as Tesla is working on the construction of the Model Y production buildings at the Giga Shanghai facility. Last week, construction crews completed the shell of Phase 2A, where the Model Y crossover will be produced.

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