Tesla's China sales plummeted in October, Model Y sold only 7,807 units, falling from first place to 66th place

Abstract:

According to the latest data from the Car King Ranking,

Tesla Model Y domestic retail sales in October 2026 were only 7,807 units, a decrease of 42,552 units from 50,359 units in September, and the ranking fell directly from No. 1 to No. 66.

Looking at monthly trends, the retail sales of Model Y from April to September this year were 22,990, 28,911, 38,654, 25,158, 29,260 and 50,359 respectively. The ranking was basically stable in the top three of all models, and it won the monthly sales championship twice in June and September. On the list in October, Model Y ranked behind the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Toyota Avalon, with sales falling by about 60% year-on-year.

The overall performance of the brand also declined. In October, 1,010 Model 3 units were sold domestically, and the Tesla brand's domestic retail sales totaled 8,817 units that month, a year-on-year decrease of 66.1%. It was the lowest monthly performance since July 2022. Domestic retail sales have declined year-on-year for the fifth consecutive month.

However, Tesla's Shanghai factory is still at full production.

The reason for the decline in domestic sales is that domestic retail production capacity is allocated to exports.

Data from the China Passenger Car Association Branch show that Tesla’s Shanghai factory sold 67,829 vehicles in wholesale in October, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%, achieving positive year-on-year growth for the 12th consecutive month. Among them, 59,012 vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 66.3% and a month-on-month increase of 93.3%, accounting for 87% of the wholesale volume, setting the highest export proportion since the Shanghai factory was put into operation. This also means that nearly 90% of the vehicles rolled off the Shanghai factory in October were sent overseas.

According to Tesla's practice,

the Shanghai factory prioritizes exports in the first month of each quarter, and then concentrates on domestic delivery at the end of the quarter,

It is worth mentioning that due to the decline in the overall domestic auto market, Tesla's cumulative domestic retail sales from January to October this year were approximately 390,000 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 15%; however, deliveries in overseas markets remained strong, with exports of 421,000 vehicles during the same period, a year-on-year increase of 101%.

To boost domestic sales, Tesla China launched a limited-time car purchase policy on October 30. Some models of Model 3 and Model Y can enjoy 0 interest for five years, and the minimum down payment has been reduced from 79,900 yuan to 39,900 yuan. After the discount, the starting price of Model 3 is 225,500 yuan, and Model Y is 259,500 yuan. The policy covers orders placed before November 30.

In terms of the broader market,

Domestic retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in October were approximately 1.1 million units, down 13.7% year-on-year, of which 770,000 pure electric models were down 5.3% year-on-year. The overall sales volume of the domestic auto market has declined significantly this year.