Tesla‘s weekly sales in China have sharply increased for the second consecutive making the start of the third quarter the strongest one in the last one and a half years.
According to insurance registration data published on Tuesday, Tesla sold 16,500 vehicles between October 13 and 19, a 46% increase from the second week of the month.
Registrations are typically lower at the beginning of each month and as a new quarter begins.
In the first three weeks of October, Tesla’s sales have risen by approximately 6,000 units each week.
The registration figures were first shared by Tesla data tracker ‘piloly’ on X.
Weekly registrations of the first two weeks of the month were affected by the Chinese Golden Week holidays, which impacted both production and sales between October 1 and 8.
Despite the slower period, sales in the first three weeks of the quarter are already up 20.7% compared to the July-September period, and 39.6% compared to the same period a year ago.
Year to date, figures remain down 4.1% year over year.
The fourth quarter marks the last opportunity for customers in the country to acquire a new electric vehicle before the purchase tax is reinstated in 2026.
Starting in 2026, electric vehicles in China will face a minimum purchase tax rate of 5%, half of the standard 10% rate, if they’re priced below 300,000 yuan.
For Tesla, the base versions of its models qualify for the full tax break, but most higher-end variants exceed the cap.
The Model Y is priced from 263,500 yuan ($37,000), while the three-row version, launched in August, starts at 339,900 yuan (47,700).
Earlier this month, the company announced it was offering a 0% APR (Annual Percentage Rate) for purchases of its revamped Model Y up until this Tuesday.
The offer has since been extended to the end of the month.
According to data from China’s Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the Tesla Model Y maintained its leadership among fully electric vehicles across all segments in the country last month.
In September, Tesla sold 59,900 Model Y units in the world’s largest EV market, in a total of 90,812 units (from which 71,525 were retail sales).
The Xiaomi YU7, which directly aimed to compete with the US brand’s SUV, placed 17th, with 22,000 units registered in September.
CPCA data shows that the tech giant sold a total of 41,948 electric vehicles last month, including 19,948 units of the SU7 sedan.
In early August, Tesla‘s Model 3 —the company’s best-selling sedan — surpassed the SU7 in weekly registrations for the first time since December.
While registrations for both the Model 3 and the SU7 have fluctuated in recent weeks, Tesla maintained the lead in September, selling 30,905 units of its Model 3.
The US brand is reportedly developing two simplified versions of its Model Y and Model 3 vehicles in China, according to local media outlet 36Kr.
Production of the two new models could begin around the middle of next year or later.
Tesla’s vice president for China, Grace Tao, said last week that the company has begun an “intensive production ramp-up” at the Shanghai plant to ensure customers “can receive their cars as soon as possible.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the company shared a new video of the Giga Shanghai, which showed several Model Ys being loaded onto transport trucks.
The US brand announced over the weekend that the unveil and the demo for the highly anticipated new Roadster is on track to take place this year.
Tesla‘s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen has further affirmed that the model will be will be available “within two years.”
