A model Y vehicle displayed at a Tesla flagship store on January 4, 2021 in Shanghai, China.
Gao Yuwen | Visual China Group | Getty Images
BEIJING – Tesla’s Model Y is getting off to a solid start in China, less than three months since the start of deliveries.
The midsize SUV was the third best-selling electric car in February, with 4,630 vehicles, according to data released on Wednesday by the China Passenger Car Association. Taking into account January, the data showed that the car was the ninth best seller among new energy vehicles, a category that includes electric vehicles.
Tesla announced on New Year’s Day that its Model Y, made in China, would start deliveries at a price that Chinese media said was 30% cheaper than previously announced.
Model Y was popular, although car sales fell during the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday, which took place in February this year.
Passenger car sales across the country fell 45.5% in February compared to January, according to the association. In the first two months of the year, data showed that nearly 3.34 million passenger cars were sold in China, with new energy vehicles accounting for 7.5%.
Chinese electric car startups Xpeng and Li Auto announced a sharp drop in deliveries in February to just over 2,000 vehicles each and low forecasts for the first quarter. Rival Nio led the group with almost double deliveries in February and a much higher guidance for the quarter.
The vehicles of the three Chinese start-ups are among the top 15 energy cars sold in China in the first two months of the year, according to data from the passenger car association.
Tesla’s Model 3 comes in second place
But the new companies are still lagging behind the biggest automakers in China’s electric vehicle market.
First place went to the Hongguang Mini, a low-cost miniature electric car developed by the General Motors joint venture with Wuling Motors and the state-owned SAIC Motor.
Tesla’s Model 3 sedan, which was the best-selling electric car in China last year, ranked second in February and the first two months of the year, according to the association’s data.
Third, in January and February combined, BYD’s luxurious Han sedan was shown, the data showed. The vehicle, which comes in purely electric and hybrid models, has grown in popularity since its launch last summer.
Due to reliance on their own reports, some in China’s auto industry have cast doubt on the accuracy of the association’s figures.