Tesla Inc. enjoyed its best-ever quarter for China shipments, as vehicles delivered from its Shanghai factory rose for a third consecutive month.
The automaker shipped around 88,321 Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport utility vehicles in September, rising 19% compared to the same time last year, according to preliminary data from China’s Passenger Car Association released Wednesday. This brought the total for the third quarter to 249,135, higher than the previous peak of 248,686 seen in the last quarter of 2023.
Despite the bump in China sales, Tesla’s global third-quarter deliveries of 462,890 vehicles still fell short of the 463,900 that some analysts had been expecting. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has built up the hype around the launch of a long-anticipated robotaxi on Thursday and other new products he hopes will generate the next growth phase for the company.
Tesla and other electric-vehicle makers in China benefited from a 20,000 yuan ($2,830) government subsidy encouraging drivers to trade in old cars for new EVs. The boost is expected to continue into October, as Beijing unleashed an economic stimulus package late September and the week-long National Day holiday that ended on Oct. 7 saw throngs of people crowding into car showrooms.
The Austin-headquartered company also celebrated the 1 millionth export from its Shanghai plant last month, with Global Vice President Grace Tao writing on social media that China-made Teslas have been receiving recognition in overseas markets including Europe and Asia Pacific.
