Tesla’s sales in China more than doubled in 2020

BEIJING – Tesla’s sales in China more than doubled last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement released on Monday.

The electric carmaker’s sales in China of $ 6.66 billion last year were about one-fifth, or 21% of the total of $ 31.54 billion.

In 2019, Tesla’s sales in China reached $ 2.98 billion, just 12% of the total of $ 24.58 billion.

The United States remained Tesla’s largest market, with sales rising 20% ​​last year to $ 15.21 billion and accounting for about half of total sales.

Tesla started ramping up production last year at its Shanghai plant and selling cars made in China in the local market.

The company’s Model 3 was the best-selling electric car in the country in 2020, according to the China Passenger Car Association. The automaker also started delivery of a new model, a Chinese-made Model Y, to local customers this year.

However, Tesla faces competition in the local market from Chinese electric car start-ups like Nio and Xpeng, as regulatory oversight has intensified.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said on its website on Monday that it and four other government departments had recently met with local Tesla affiliates about an increase in consumer reports of problems with vehicles.

Among several incidents that have gained attention on Chinese social media in recent weeks, a Model 3 is believed to have exploded in a Shanghai parking lot in January. Chinese authorities last week said Tesla had to recall more than 36,000 cars due to a touchscreen failure.