Weekly insurance registration data showed on Tuesday that Tesla sold 14,300 vehicles in China between September 1 and 7 — its best sales week since the beginning of the third quarter.
The figures showed a 15.3% increase from the final week of August, when the company’s sales had also grown by 20.4% to 12,400 units.
The sales surge contradicts the typical slowdown in auto sales at the beginning of each month, which most automakers have felt.
This growth was driven by the two recently launched models in the Chinese market — the Model 3+ and the three-row SUV Model Y L.
According to data released by China’s Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Monday, Tesla sold 57,152 vehicles in the country last month and was ranked the ninth best-selling brand across all powertrains. The Model Y was the second best-selling vehicle.
The market share for electric vehicles rose to 34.4%, with Tesla representing 8.3% of the segment.
Year to date, registrations are down 7%.
However, sales over the past two months are already 45% higher than in March–April, putting this quarter on track to be the company’s third-best ever after just two months.
Registrations of the US brand in China have been increasing since mid-July, having experienced its first drop in five weeks from August 18 to 24, from which it recovered in the past two weeks.
From the total vehicles sold last week, 8,400 were Model Ys and 5,000 were Model 3s.
Tesla started deliveries of the six-seater Model Y L last week, for which the EV brand opened orders in mid-August, at a starting price of 339,000 yuan ($47,550).
According to CEO Elon Musk on X, the model will not be produced in the US until late 2026, “might not ever.”
The three-row SUV features a top speed of 201 km/h and has a range of 830 km, as does the most recent variant of the Model 3, with the longest range yet, for which Tesla has already cut prices in China.
Down by 10,000 yuan, the model now costs 259,500 yuan ($36,400).
Model 3 sales in China have recovered in August, surpassing its main competitor, the Xiaomi SU7, for the first time since the beginning of 2025.
After the rival was able to reclaim the top spot in the past two weeks, SU7 registrations dropped in early September, while Model 3 sales have maintained the growth.
Xiaomi sold 3,200 SU7s and 3,000 YU7 SUVs from September 1 to 7. The tech giant’s second model and first SUV is set to compete with the Model Y.
Tesla’s Model Y was the best-selling SUV in the Chinese market last month, while its Model 3 reclaimed the first place in the sedan ranking.
BYD, which sells both hybrid and fully electric models, sold 52,000 vehicles in the first week of September, and was followed by Geely‘s Galaxy, which listed 19,800 units.
Stellantis-backed Leapmotor recorded 10,800 units, below Tesla. XPeng sold 6,700 vehicles, while the Shanghai-based Nio Group totaled 6,300 vehicles.
