- Tesla is offering Chinese customers who purchase its cars through referral program a discount of RMB 8,000 ($1,110) on optional body paint in June.
- Tesla China’s sales in May, including exports, saw a year-on-year decline for the eighth consecutive month.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has resumed its owner referral rewards program in China to address declining sales in the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market.
From June 5 to June 30, customers who purchase vehicles through a Tesla owner’s referral can receive a discount of RMB 8,000 ($1,110) on paid paint options, the company announced today on Weibo.
Referrers, who can be Tesla owners or customers who have ordered a Tesla vehicle but have not yet taken delivery, will receive Tesla points worth RMB 800 upon successful referral.
The program applies to Tesla’s Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs produced in Shanghai, as well as imported Model S sedans and Model X SUVs.
Tesla typically offers a free paint for models sold in China, with customers paying extra for other paint finishes.
For example, the current free paint option for the Model Y is gray. White, blue, and black paint options cost RMB 8,000, while red and silver paint options cost RMB 12,000.
Prior to 2021, Tesla had implemented a customer referral program globally for many years, offering rewards such as free supercharging credits to stimulate demand.
In September 2021, Tesla first discontinued the referral rewards in China as customer interest continued to rise.
Over the past few years, Tesla has repeatedly restarted and discontinued referral rewards as one of the tools to respond to market changes.
The last time Tesla reintroduced the reward was in November 2023, offering customers who purchased through referrals a discount of RMB 1,750 and a free 90-day trial of the Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) assisted driving software.
The company’s latest move comes amid ongoing pressure on its sales in China and the looming shadow of domestic price wars.
Tesla China sold 61,662 vehicles in May, including those sold in China and exported to overseas markets, according to data released yesterday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
This represents a 15.03 percent decrease from the 72,573 vehicles sold in the same period last year, though a 5.48 percent increase from the 58,459 vehicles sold in April.
This marks the eighth consecutive month of year-on-year decline in Tesla China’s sales since October 2024, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
In the first five months of the year, Tesla China sold 292,875 vehicles, including exports. This represents a 17.64 percent decrease from the 355,616 units sold in the same period last year.
Tesla’s May delivery figures in China and export numbers from its Shanghai factory are not yet available. In the first four months of the year, Tesla’s retail sales in the Chinese domestic market totaled 163,338 units, a year-on-year decrease of 0.31 percent.
($1 = RMB 7.1806)
The Xiaomi YU7 SUV will be launched in July, and surpasses the Tesla Model Y in multiple fronts.
