Teslaβs Chinese-Made Cars Just Got Steamrolled As Rivals Soar

- Tesla sold 58,459 China-built Model 3 and Model Y vehicles globally in April.
- Tesla exports vehicles from China to regions like Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
- Nio, Xpeng, and Xiaomi all posted substantial year-over-year sales increases.
Teslaβs massive factory in Shanghai, China, has the capacity to build roughly 1 million vehicles every year. However, it could fall quite short of that number this year based on disappointing sales figures of its Chinese-made models in April, which slipped 25.8% from the month prior.
The China Passenger Car Association revealed that a total of 58,459 Tesla Model 3s and Model Ys built in China were sold last month. Importantly, this figure isnβt a reflection of the total number of vehicles that Tesla sold in China alone, but also includes other markets where it sells Shanghai-built vehicles, including Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Read: Tesla Sales Crash Over 80% In Sweden And Thatβs Just The Beginning
This is just the latest episode of Teslaβs sales drop saga in recent days. In April, its sales collapsed in key European markets like Spain, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the UK. Its sales have also tanked in Australia, where, not too long ago, it was the EV leader. In April, seven other EV models from Chinese and Korean brands outsold the Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3.

Rivals Are Closing In
Many factors at play can help to explain why Tesla sales continue to fall. Obviously, negative public sentiment about chief executive Elon Musk is one of them, particularly due to his meddling in politics, not just in the US but around the world as well. Additionally, Tesla has a relatively limited and aging line-up of EVs compared to some of its competitors, with the Model 3 and Model Y being the serious volume sellers.
Rivals are also quickly gaining ground on the American brand. In April, Nioβs sales grew 53% from a year ago, with 23,900 vehicles sold. Additionally, Xpeng recorded its second-best month ever, securing 35,045 sales. Xiaomi also managed to deliver more than 28,000 vehicles in April while Li Autoβs sales rose 32% to 33,939.
