Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles will be on display at a delivery event at the factory in Shanghai, China, on January 7, 2020.
Aly Song | Reuters
BEIJING – Tesla sales in China more than doubled during the coronavirus pandemic last year, according to an filing on Monday.
The electric vehicle manufacturer’s revenue in China of $ 6.66 billion last year accounted for about one-fifth, or 21% of its $ 31.54 billion total.
In 2019, Tesla’s sales in China were $ 2.98 billion, just 12% of its $ 24.58 billion total.
The US remained Tesla’s largest market, with sales up 20% last year to $ 15.21 billion, accounting for about half of total sales.
Tesla began ramping up production at its Shanghai plant and selling Chinese-made cars in the local market last year.
According to the Chinese Passenger Car Association, the company’s Model 3 was the best-selling electric car in the country in 2020. The carmaker also started delivering a new model, a China-made Model Y, to local customers this year.
However, Tesla faces competition in the local market from Chinese electric car start-ups such as Nio and Xpeng, while regulatory oversight has increased.
On Monday, China’s state market regulation administration said on its website that it and four other government departments recently met with Tesla’s local subsidiaries about an increase in consumer reports of vehicle problems.
Among the various incidents that got attention on Chinese social media in recent weeks, a Model 3 is said to have exploded in a parking garage in Shanghai in January. Last week, Chinese authorities said Tesla had to recall more than 36,000 cars due to a touchscreen malfunction.