Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Tesla is ramping up production of the refreshed Model Y in China, with weekly registrations rising steadily as the company transitions to the refreshed version.
Data from Li Auto shows that Model Y registrations in China reached 8,700 units in the week of March 3-9, up from 6,700 the previous week, marking a continued upward trend following the slowdown due to the transition to the new version.
The increase follows a ramp-up in production at Tesla’s Shanghai plant, which began deliveries of the refreshed Model Y “Launch Series” edition on February 26.
The factory initially faced a slowdown in early 2025, with registrations dropping to just 400 units in the week it started deliveries of the SUV in the country. The figures have been rebounding since then as production ramp up continues.
For now, the Shanghai plant is producing only the Launch Series edition, which includes Full Self-Driving software, an acceleration boost, vegan suede interior, and exclusive badging.
Three additional refreshed Model Y variants—rear-wheel drive, long-range rear-wheel drive, and long-range all-wheel drive— have recently become available, with a seven-seater version expected later this year.
Total figures from last week showed an increase of 11% to 13,800 vehicles marking the best week of the year.
For the full month of February, Tesla sold 26,777 vehicles in China’s domestic market, down 11.2% year-on-year and 20.6% from January, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed earlier this week.
Tesla’s China operations have historically focused on exports in the first half of each quarter before shifting to local deliveries. The latest registration figures suggest an acceleration in domestic production for the refreshed Model Y.
The U.S. carmaker sold a total of 30,688 vehicles in China last month, including 3,911 units for export. Exports from Tesla’s Shanghai plant fell 87% from 30,224 units a year earlier and 87% from 29,535 in January.
As of the time of writing, Tesla shares are trading 6% higher at $244.