Tesla's China-made EV sales jump 91% in February on low comparison

BEIJING, March 11 (Reuters) - Sales of Tesla's TSLA.O China-made electric vehicle rose for a fourth month in a row in February, as a low comparison base from last year outweighed headwinds from seasonal factors.

Sales of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles made in its Shanghai plant, including exports to markets including Europe, totalled 58,600 units last month, up 91% from a year earlier and following a 9.3% rise in January, Tesla China said on Wednesday.

The sales were down 15.2% from January.

Exports from Tesla's Shanghai factory soared roughly five-fold year-on-year to 20,000 vehicles last month, separate data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

The U.S. automaker's China-made EV deliveries in February 2025 were affected by a partial assembly line suspension for its refreshed Model Y over the Lunar New Year.

Sales in the first two months of the year tend to show big fluctuations due to shifting Lunar New Year times.

A seven-year, low-interest financing plan created by Tesla has prompted rivals such as BYD 1211.HK 002594.SZ to follow suit in the world's largest auto market, where a scaling-back of government subsidies is seen intensifying competition.

BYD, which recorded its biggest fall in global sales since the pandemic last month, including a 65% year-on-year drop in China, unveiled its first major battery upgrade in six years last week in an effort to regain lost ground.