A Model Y vehicle on display at a flagship Tesla store on January 4, 2021 in Shanghai, China.
Gao Yuwen | Visual China Group | Getty Images
BEIJING – Tesla’s Model Y begins with a solid start in China, less than three months since deliveries began.
The mid-size SUV was the third-best-selling electric car in February with 4,630 vehicles, according to data released Wednesday by the China Passenger Association. Considering January, the data showed that the car was the ninth best-selling among new-energy vehicles, a category that includes electric cars.
Tesla announced on New Year’s Day that the Y-model made in China would start delivering at a price that Chinese media said was 30% cheaper than previously announced.
The Model Y was popular even though car sales tend to fall during the week-long lunar New Year holidays, which took place in February this year.
According to the association, passenger car sales nationwide fell 45.5% in February from January. During the first two months of the year, these data showed that nearly 3.34 million passenger cars were sold in China, with new energy vehicles accounting for 7.5%.
The two Chinese electric vehicle companies 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 about twice as many deliveries in February and a much higher focus for the quarter.
The vehicles of the three Chinese start-ups rank among the top 15 new energy cars sold in China in the first two months of the year, according to data from the tourist association.
Tesla’s Model 3 ranks second
But emerging companies remain the largest carmakers in China’s electric vehicle market.
The first place went to the Hongguang Mini, a low-cost miniature electric car developed by the General Motors joint venture with Wuling Motors and state-owned SAIC Motor.
Tesla’s Model 3 sedan, which was the best-selling electric car in China last year, ranked second during February and the first two months of the year, according to the association’s data.
The data shows third place in January and February combined with BYD’s luxury sedan. The vehicle, which includes both pure and hybrid electric models, has gained popularity since its launch last summer.
Due to confidence in self-information, some in the Chinese auto industry have questioned the accuracy of the association’s figures.