Tesla logged 8,634 newly insured vehicles in China in the week of June 2-8, a drop of roughly 34 % from the previous week’s 13,000 units and about 28 % below the same week last year.
Industry insurance-registration data showed on Tuesday the pull-back erased much of the surge recorded at the end of May, leaving Tesla’s second-quarter tally modestly below the first-quarter pace.
Most automakers saw similar week-over-week declines, as the reporting period covered the usually slower start of the month.
For May, the U.S. electric-car maker sold 61,662 China-made vehicles, including exports, down 15 % year-on-year but 5 % higher than April, marking an eighth straight month of annual decline, China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data showed on Monday.
In the January–May period, Tesla’s Shanghai plant shipped 292,875 vehicles, 18 % fewer than a year earlier.
Tesla has trimmed prices, offered free transfers of its premium driver-assistance package and joined a state-backed rural-EV promotion to revive demand, while rivals have countered with fresh discounts of their own.
The Shanghai factory, Tesla’s largest globally, builds Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for both domestic customers and export markets; it exported just over 23,000 cars in May, up 33 % on the year but down 22 % from April.
The brand’s lineup in China includes the Model 3, the Model Y, the Model S and the Model X. The two latter are only available as inventory units, after the company halted imports of the U.S.-made models.
Both Model Y and Model 3 customers can take advantage of a 0% interest financing option available for terms ranging from 1 to 5 years. The offers are only valid for customers taking delivery before the end of June.
Over the weekend, Tesla unveiled that the seven-seat variant of the Model Y might be underway. It had been teased by VP of Engineering Lars Moravy earlier this year.
Tesla enthusiast zhongwen2005 reported on X that the company’s Shanghai plant was preparing to begin production in May of a three-row version of the model, with an extended wheelbase for more space.
From the total Tesla vehicles sold last week, X2,610 were Model 3s. The Model 3 sedan begins at 235,500 yuan ($32,760), with the company now offering an 8,000 yuan ($1,100) insurance subsidy.
