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BEIJING, January 5  (TMTPOST)— Tesla Inc. is well on the track to dethrone German auto giants as the No.1 luxury automaker in China.  

Source: Visual China

Tesla is estimated to deliver a total of more than 710,000 vehicles in 2022, increasing 48% from the previous year, and out of these vehicles, there are more than 450,000 SUV model Model Ys, just shy of Tesla China annual delivery during the year 2021, according to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Data from the auto industry body also showed that delivery of Shanghai factory in the past year exceeded the sales of so-called BBA--three German super automakers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in 2021. Tesla is expected to beat BBA as the top luxury vehicle maker in China by delivery, based on CPCA statics of the wholesales from January to November, 2022.

Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory started delivery in late 2019 and made its first 1 million vehicles in August, 2022. The factory delivered 100,291 EVs in November, for the first time topping 100,000 units in a month since the production hub started operation in December, 2019, and the factory has delivered more than 650,000 units for the eleven months of the year, the state-run Xinhua News Agency learned from Tesla China last month. The recent delivery record represents an almost 40% month-over-month (MoM) decline since data from CPCA showed Tesla China shipped 71,704 vehicles in October.

News about Shanghai factory’s slowdown spurred new concerns over weakening demand recently. Tesla was reported to inform some of Shanghai employees to stop production from December, 25 and resume work on January 2, extending its planned eight-day suspension by two days. The electric vehicle maker also was said to extend its reduced production schedule into next month as it plans to run from January 3 to 19 and halt production from Jan. 20 to 31 at its Shanghai factory, compared with the public holiday period for the upcoming Chinese New Year from Jan. 21 to 27 of 2023. “The reported Tesla’s holiday shutdown were not accurate as most of employees at Shanghai Gigafactory will enjoy their holiday leave from January 20 to 28, which just one day earlier than the beginning of public  New Year holidays officially given and one day later than the holiday ends,” a leader at Tesla China later clarified.