Tesla Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) wholesale sales in China for January declined from the record performance in December, although rising about 300% from the year-ago period. The company's domestic sales in China trailed that of Warren Buffett-backed BYD Company Limited (OTC:BYDDF).
January may have been impacted by a pull-forward effect in December, as Chinese consumers rescheduled purchases to avoid the impact of EV subsidy reduction, which was to come into effect in 2022.
Tesla Sales Lose Momentum Dip Sequentially: Tesla's wholesale sales in China came in at 59,845 units in January, up about 285% year-over-year, Reuters reported, citing data from China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The number represented a 15.5% drop from the record 70,847 units the company sold in December.
The EV maker exported 40,499 units of these vehicles, up from 21,127 units in December. Domestic sales came in at 19,346 units, a decrease from the 31,732 units sold in December.
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The break-up between export and domestic sales was in line with Tesla's accent on exports in the first half of the quarter before shifting focus to domestic sales in the second half.
Comparing January's export performance to October, the first month of the fourth quarter, shows a modest dip from the 40,666 units recorded for October 2021.
Overall passenger car sales in China slipped 4.5% year-over-year to 2.11 million, CPCA reportedly said.
How Tesla Fared Against Domestic Competition: Tesla's Chinese retail sales of 19,346 units compare favorably to the U.S.-listed Chinese EV manufacturers Nio Inc - ADR (NYSE:NIO), Xpeng Inc (NYSE:XPEV) and Li Auto Inc (NYSE:LI).
XPeng did the best of the trio by selling 12,922 units in January, while Li Auto and Nio sold 12,268 units and 9,653 units, respectively.
BYD's battery EV sales stood at 46,386 units in January.
TSLA Price Action: Tesla shares are up 1.57% at $871.71 Monday morning at publication.
Photo: Tesla Inc.
