According to a document submitted by Tesla to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on January 31, the firm's total revenue in 2022 was $81.462 billion, up 51% year-on-year. Specifically, the Chinese market notched revenue totaling $18.145 billion, accounting for 22.27%.
News emerged recently that Tesla's production of 4680 large cylindrical batteries has achieved a major breakthrough, and that costs have dropped by 54%. However, many staff members of Tesla's China division stated, "At present, there is no related news."
A Li Auto car owner in Shanghai claimed recently that when he was driving at night, the central control screen suddenly showed that a person was following directly behind the vehicle, but upon checking, he found that there was nothing.
On January 13, Huawei-backed electric vehicle brand AITO suddenly announced price reductions of 30,000 yuan ($4,462), bringing the cost of its M5 and M7 EVs down to 259,800 yuan and 289,800 yuan, respectively.
Tesla China recently reduced the prices of its Model 3 and Model Y, inciting the frustration of previous buyers and driving an uptick in new customers. On January 9, Grace Tao, global vice president of Tesla, attempted to clarify the company's pricing logic.
Tesla suddenly posted record-low vehicle prices for the Chinese market on January 6, causing many Chinese car owners to organize in an attempt to defend their consumer rights.
On January 6, the starting prices of Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y in China dropped to 229,900 yuan ($33,458) and 259,900 yuan ($37,825) respectively, the lowest prices ever for both vehicles, with an estimated delivery period of one to four weeks.
During the Guangzhou Auto Show, Kong Yanshuang, Regional General Manager of Tesla China, said in an interview that the company is looking forward to accelerating the release of vitality in the Chinese auto market after the end of the pandemic.
News emerged on January 3 that Wang Chuanfu, the chairman of Chinese automotive giant BYD, has set a goal of selling a total of 4 million vehicles in 2023. In response, BYD said that due to the continuing pandemic, it is difficult to set a precise sales target for this year.
Tom Zhu, Tesla's head of China and global vice president, was reportedly given a new position on January 3. Going forward, he will be responsible for the US-based automaker's global sales, delivery, after-sales and factory production.
Tesla announced on December 30 at an automotive expo in Guangzhou that the prices of its Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid in the Chinese market will be unveiled on January 6, 2023.
Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory will reportedly suspend production from January 20-31, longer than China's national Spring Festival holiday from January 21-27. The EV maker responded that most employees at the factory will have a holiday from January 20 to 28.
Tesla's China chief Tom Zhu stepped down as legal representative of Tesla (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., but will remain its chairman. This may be another signal that Zhu is fading out of Tesla's business in China.
According to Tesla China, the Shanghai factory still maintained efficient production and output in 2022. The vehicle production will carry out the annual production line maintenance work as planned this week.
With the recent easing of stringent COVID-19 control policies across China and increased support for struggling enterprises, many domestic automakers have sped up the resumption of production and kickstarted fresh marketing campaigns in pursuit of their sales targets.
Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng plans to launch three new models in 2023, namely, the modified version of the hot-selling model P7, an SUV model with internal code F30, and an MPV model with internal code H93.
On December 12, Tesla denied a report that the Amercian electric vehicle maker's Shanghai factory will suspend production of its Model Y from December 25 to January 1 next year.
Japanese automotive giant Honda Motor announced on December 8 that it will purchase about 123GWh in vehicle batteries from China's CATL from 2024 to 2030. These products will be produced centrally at CATL's Yichun Factory.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly confirmed the individual to replace him as CEO of the firm. Tom Zhu, Tesla's current global vice president and CEO of Greater China, will take up this high-profile position.
