File photo shows a Tesla Model 3. Credit: CnEVPost
- Tesla’s retail sales in China reached 47,281 units in May, a 22.53% increase year-on-year.
- Exports from the Shanghai factory surged 67.73% year-on-year in May, continuing to play a key role in meeting global market demand.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) saw a significant recovery in its domestic retail performance in China in May, ending a two-month streak of year-on-year sales declines, accompanied by strong export figures from its Shanghai factory.
The US electric vehicle (EV) maker’s domestic retail sales in China reached 47,281 units in May, up 22.53% from a year earlier, according to data released Monday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Compared to a relatively weak domestic performance in April, Tesla’s retail sales in May surged 82.16% month-on-month.
Tesla Monthly Retail Sales in China 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
39,881
33,703
18,485
February
30,141
26,777
38,206
March
62,398
74,127
56,107
April
31,421
28,731
25,956
May
55,215
38,588
47,281
June
59,261
61,484
July
46,227
40,617
August
63,456
57,152
September
72,200
71,525
October
40,485
26,006
November
73,490
73,145
December
82,927
93,843
Tesla monthly retail sales in China
2024
2025
2026
During the January-May period, Tesla’s cumulative domestic retail sales in China stood at 186,035 units. Despite the strong May showing, this year-to-date figure remains down 7.87% from the same period last year.
Tesla’s sales recovery aligns with the broader expansion trend in China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market. China’s NEV retail sales reached 950,000 units in May, reflecting an 18.6% year-on-year growth.
In the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market, China’s retail sales were 637,000 units in May. This represents a 22.0% year-on-year increase and a 19.2% month-on-month rise.
Boosted by the rebound in domestic deliveries, Tesla’s share of China’s NEV market by retail sales climbed to 4.98% in May. This is higher than the 3.78% recorded in the same period last year, and significantly above April’s 3.06%.
Tesla’s Share in China’s NEV Market 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
5.97%
4.53%
3.10%
February
7.77%
3.90%
8.23%
March
8.80%
7.48%
6.62%
April
4.66%
3.17%
3.06%
May
6.87%
3.78%
4.98%
June
6.92%
5.53%
July
5.27%
4.12%
August
6.18%
5.19%
September
6.43%
5.52%
October
3.39%
2.03%
November
5.80%
5.54%
December
6.37%
7.02%
Tesla’s share in China’s NEV market
2024
2025
2026
In China’s BEV market, Tesla’s market share reached 7.42% in May. This performance also surpassed the 6.36% from a year ago and marked a strong rebound from the 4.48% trough in April.
Tesla’s Share in China’s BEV Market 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
10.61%
7.84%
5.31%
February
13.64%
6.27%
13.74%
March
14.58%
11.47%
9.88%
April
7.76%
5.14%
4.48%
May
11.15%
6.36%
7.42%
June
12.02%
9.30%
July
9.59%
6.69%
August
10.88%
8.33%
September
11.21%
8.66%
October
6.02%
3.20%
November
9.70%
8.84%
December
10.88%
12.00%
Tesla’s share in China’s BEV market
2024
2025
2026
Tesla Shanghai Plant Monthly Exports 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
31,566
29,535
50,644
February
30,224
3,911
20,393
March
26,666
4,701
29,563
April
30,746
29,728
53,522
May
17,358
23,074
38,701
June
11,746
10,115
July
27,890
27,269
August
23,241
26,040
September
16,121
19,287
October
27,795
35,491
November
5,366
13,555
December
10,839
3,328
Tesla Shanghai plant monthly exports
2024
2025
2026
While meeting domestic demand, overseas shipments from Tesla’s Shanghai factory remained at a high level.
Tesla’s Shanghai factory exported 38,701 vehicles in May, achieving a 67.73% year-on-year growth.
However, as the company tilted more production capacity toward the domestic market in May, the figure fell 27.69% compared to April.
In the first five months of the year, total exports from the Shanghai factory reached 192,823 units, up 112.01% year-on-year, underscoring the facility’s status as a global export hub.
Combining domestic retail and overseas exports, Tesla China’s wholesale volume reached 85,982 vehicles in May. This represents a 39.44% increase from a year earlier and an 8.18% month-on-month rebound from April.
Wholesale volume for the Model Y reached 54,765 units in May. This reflects a 38.55% year-on-year growth and a 5.03% month-on-month increase.
China-made Tesla Model Y Monthly Sales (Exports Included) 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
41,873
32,233
38,916
February
36,248
8,032
41,404
March
57,586
49,029
55,856
April
31,962
33,960
52,143
May
45,359
39,527
54,765
June
43,951
51,253
July
41,405
45,838
August
56,309
58,888
September
51,152
59,907
October
42,265
38,562
November
46,595
55,576
December
61,984
66,189
China-made Tesla Model Y monthly sales (exports included)
2024
2025
2026
The Model 3 sedan saw a wholesale volume of 31,217 units in May, achieving a 41.03% year-on-year growth and a 14.20% increase from the previous month.
China-made Tesla Model 3 Monthly Sales (Exports Included) 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
29,574
31,005
30,213
February
24,117
22,656
17,195
March
31,478
29,799
29,814
April
30,205
24,499
27,335
May
27,214
22,135
31,217
June
27,056
20,346
July
32,712
22,048
August
30,388
24,304
September
37,169
30,905
October
26,015
22,935
November
32,261
31,124
December
31,782
30,982
China-made Tesla Model 3 monthly sales (exports included)
2024
2025
2026
Currently, specific domestic retail breakdown data for these two models in May is not yet available.
Tesla’s strong performance in May was partly driven by the company’s new vehicle financing policies introduced to boost local market demand.
The company launched a new service called “Easy Loan” in May, aiming to attract budget-conscious Chinese consumers by lowering the threshold for purchasing a car.
In addition to flexible pricing and loan strategies, Tesla is preparing for a major technology roll-out in the Chinese market, which could further stimulate future sales.
The company recently changed the name of its FSD (Full Self-Driving) software to “Tesla Assisted Driving” on its official Chinese website. The price of the software suite remains at 64,000 yuan.
The naming adjustment follows the company’s earlier announcement that the FSD supervised is now available in markets including China. This has sparked widespread market expectations that its full self-driving technology will soon be deployed in the country.
Based on the data released so far, most automakers saw a rebound in sales in May, gradually emerging from the off-season that began at the start of the year.
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