Tesla registered 9,900 vehicles in China between July 14 and 20, down nearly 20% from 12,300 the previous week and 5.7% lower than the same period last year.
Three weeks into the third quarter, sales of the EV maker in the Chinese market were up 72.2% when compared to the same period a year ago.
Despite the slight tumble, registrations from the Elon Musk-led company have been recovering from a sharp drop in the beginning of the month, when it recorded its lowest figures in two months.
The lower figures were expected due to the typical slowdown seen at the beginning of each quarter.
From January 1 to July 20, Tesla sold 291,300 vehicles in China. The figures are slightly down by 4.8% year over year.
Tesla said on a Weibo post this Monday that it has sold 3 million Model 3s worldwide since the model launched in 2017 — an average of one vehicle every 73 seconds.
Last week, a catalogue by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) unveiled a new variant of the Model 3 with a longer range — the “Model 3+”.
The catalogue also revealed that Tesla filed for a six-seat version of its best-selling SUV, the Model Y. The three-rowed “Model YL” is scheduled for “this Fall,” according to the brand.
Media outlet CLS reported that the Model 3+ may launch as early as September, with a price point near 270,000 yuan ($37,600). However, the company did not officially tease the upcoming sedan, as it did with the SUV.
Tesla is currently offering a 0% interest loan on a 5-year financing plan for purchases of the Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive or Long Range All-Wheel Drive.
The same package can be applied to the refreshed Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive or Long Range All-Wheel Drive. Customers must take delivery of the vehicle by July 31.
According to insurance registration data, the refreshed Model Y accounted for 7,500 of the vehicles sold from July 14 to 20, while the Model 3 represented 2,400 units.
The main competitor for Tesla’s sedan in China, the Xiaomi SU7, accounted for 5,600 units — more than doubling registrations of the US brand’s model.
Xiaomi registered 7,200 electric vehicles in the market last week, from which 1,600 were YU7s — the recently launched SUV that is also set to rival the Model Y.
When it comes to Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) brands, Huawei-backed Aito took the lead among newcomers, with 9,500 vehicles, while BYD remained the best-selling brand overall in the market, with 51,400 hybrid and fully electric units.
XPeng registered 6,700 units last week, up from the 5,600 it had sold in the prior week.
Nio and Zeekr, which are both in the premium sector, sold 2,500 and 3,000 vehicles, respectively.
