Tesla China

Tesla officially completed its 300th Supercharger Station in China and confirmed the first V3 Station in China is under construction. Last month we reported that Tesla is planning a massive charging infrastructure expansion in China ahead of the expected increase in vehicle sales due to volume production at Gigafactory 3… Expand
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As we reported yesterday, Tesla is preparing a massive push in China as import duties fall and local manufacturing is coming.

Now Tesla is already lowering its price by 40,000 yuan to 90,000 yuan (~$6,000 to ~$14,000 USD) depending on the model. Expand
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Unlike most foreign automakers in China, Tesla has yet to establish local production and still solely relies on exporting its vehicles from California to the largest auto market in the world.

Nonetheless, Tesla managed to double its sales in China last year as it is significantly expanding its presence in the country. Expand
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Earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk elaborated on the automaker’s plans to establish manufacturing capacity in China with a new factory in the country within the next 3 years.

Ahead of those plans, Tesla is now establishing a new company in the country for research and development, according to a new government filing. Expand
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There have been several false alarms over the past few years about Tesla building a factory in China. Earlier this year, Tesla finally confirmed working with the Shanghai government to establish a manufacturing facility in the region and promised an announcement by the end of the year.

Now the Wall Street Journal reports that they have come to an agreement with the local authorities on a “wholly owned” factory in the region. Expand
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While Tesla is undoubtedly looking for new locations to build upcoming new Gigafactories and that one in China is likely, Tesla has been shutting down recent rumors about deals to establish manufacturing capacity in the country.

Now yet another rumor about a factory, this time in Shanghai, emerged today. Expand
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Tesla China tripled its sales in 2016 to over $1 billion with over 11,000 deliveries and they continued their streak during the first quarter 2017 with a record quarter.

In order to support its growth, the company is expanding in the country with new Supercharger stations and new stores. Expand
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Tesla is about to release its financial results for the first quarter 2017 and it is expected to announce record revenue thanks to record deliveries of the Model S and Model X.

We now learn through registration and import data that Tesla saw important increases in deliveries in the Chinese and Hong Kong markets, which seem to have made the difference for Tesla during the quarter. Expand
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been on an international trip over the past week. First in Australia earlier this week and in Beijing yesterday.

While in China, Musk met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang. The nature of the discussion wasn’t disclosed, but it comes as Tesla is looking for 2 or 3 more locations to build Gigafactories for both batteries and cars. Expand
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Tesla had a rough start when it started selling its cars in China in 2014. Several delays and bad perception on charging options led to poor sales that persisted through 2015.

But in its latest SEC filing, Tesla confirmed that things changed in 2016, which was a breakout year for the automaker in China. They more than tripled sales to over $1 billion in revenue last year. Expand
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While Tesla only started delivering the Model X in China in June of last year, the all-electric SUV is reportedly already popular in the country. It was even going for a 40% premium ($240k US) on the Chinese gray market and it helped Tesla increase its deliveries in the country to reportedly around 10,000 units in total (S and X).

Some of the first owners gathered in order to set a new Guinness World Record. Expand
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China has strong protectionism laws in place that require any automaker wanting to establish production capacity in the country to partner and share its technology with a local manufacturer – something several automakers have decided to do in order to tap into what is now the largest auto market in the world.

But in an attempt to accelerate electric vehicle production in the country and fight its air pollution problem, China is now proposing to relax those laws for what they call “new energy vehicles,” a.k.a. electric vehicles, in order to attract more foreign investments. The new rules are expected to open the door to Tesla and other automakers who recently expressed desires to establish manufacturing capacity in China to produce electric vehicles. Expand
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China is serious about electric vehicles, which it sees as part of the solution for its air pollution problem. In order to facilitate the adoption, the country developed its own charging standard and it is investing heavily in deploying state-owned EV charging infrastructure.

Tesla has been working with the government to promote the recently revealed standard and now it plans to introduce a new adapter for its cars to have access to the new charging stations, which it hopes will increase sales in the country. Expand
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Tesla China likes to organize some pretty impressive road trips with its vehicle owners. In 2014, they traveled the Silk Road in Tesla Model S sedans right after the market introduction in China, which was a time of rapid expansion for the country’s EV charging infrastructure.

Now that Tesla introduced the Model X in China, the automaker announced another achievement: reaching the world’s highest plateau with electric vehicles. Expand
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Tesla already started deliveries for the Model X in China back in June, and prior to the market introduction of the all-electric SUV, the vehicle was already proven to be popular in the country with reportedly over 3,000 reservations in mainland China.

Now we learn that some customers are not willing to wait and prefer to buy the vehicle directly on the ‘gray market’, even though it comes with serious setbacks and a decent premium. Expand
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Yesterday, Tesla inaugurated its 100th Supercharger in China located at its ‘Tesla experience center’ in the business district in Beijing, and for the occasion, the automaker announced the official launch of  ‘Tesla Public Charging Partner Program’ in the country.

Under the program, Tesla is inviting hotel groups, commercial real estate companies, industrial parks, office buildings, banks, resorts, and other businesses across the country to participate in Tesla’s Supercharger and Destination Charger networks. Expand
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Earlier this month, Bloomberg came out with a report claiming that signed a “non-binding memorandum of understanding” with Jinqiao Group, a Shanghai government-owned company, to invest in a $9 billion electric vehicle factory in the region. At the time, Tesla didn’t comment on the report, but now CEO Elon Musk denies that a deal was signed:

Earlier this year, Musk confirmed that the automaker plans on securing a location and a local partner for a manufacturing facility in China by the middle of the 2016, but now we learn that there’s a possibility that Tesla will not have to create a partnership as the government is exploring the a lift of the cap on joint-ventures for automakers. Expand
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Just a week ago, we reported that the first shipment of Model X’s has cleared customs and that the company’s stores and service centers, also sometimes referred to as “experience centers” in China, are receiving the all-electric SUV.

Now we learn that Tesla hosted a special delivery event for the first 6 Model X owners in China. Expand
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There’s no doubt that Tesla likes big factories. Its Fremont Factory is one of the biggest buildings on earth with 5.3 million square feet of manufacturing and office space – pictured above. The Gigafactory is set to be the biggest building on earth by footprint with 13 million square feet of space. The automaker also operates several other smaller but still fairly big facilities, like its final assembly line in Tilburg, Netherlands, which covers 840,000 square feet.

Now the company is about to invest in a factory in China. While the plans have yet to be unveiled, earlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the automaker plans on securing a location and a local partner for a manufacturing facility in China by the middle of the 2016, and it looks like it will be huge.

We learn that Shanghai could now be the front-runner as Tesla reportedly signed a “non-binding memorandum of understanding” to invest in a $9 billion electric vehicle factory in the region. Expand
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Today, Tesla launches new ‘zero down payment’ and ‘zero interest rate’ financing programs in China as the company is trying to expand in this increasingly important market. Earlier this year, we reported on Tesla testing a similar program for a limited time with the China Merchants Bank, but now the new programs have been tweaked and will run for the rest of the year in partnership with Fosun, a Chinese financial service company. Expand
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Reports are coming out that Tesla is starting Model X deliveries in China ahead of schedule. The first shipment of Model X’s reportedly cleared customs and delivery centers now have the electric SUV. They can start delivering to early reservation holders who have been waiting for years in some cases. Expand
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