Tesla China Regional GM: We Will Contribute to Global Expansion of “Made in China”

The Guangzhou Auto Show officially opened on December 30, kicking off 2022’s final large-scale exhibition for China’s automotive industry. During the show, Kong Yanshuang, Regional General Manager of Tesla China, was interviewed by domestic media outlet Autohome.

In 2022, China’s new energy vehicle market continued to maintain a high-speed growth trend. According to a forecast made by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the cumulative sales volume of new energy vehicles in China last year is expected to have reached 6.7 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 90.3%.

As a global star enterprise in the EV field, Tesla also achieved brilliant results last year. According to the firm’s official data, Tesla delivered a total of 1.31 million vehicles worldwide last year, a year-on-year increase of 40%. Meanwhile, a total of 1.37 million vehicles were produced, up 47% year-on-year.

At the Guangzhou Auto Show, Tesla exhibited its Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid. Regarding these two high-level “pure-electric benchmark” products, Kong Yanshuang said, “I believe that when these two models officially enter the Chinese market, they will soon become another focus for Chinese consumers.”

Tesla China said that the prices of its Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid will be officially announced on January 6, and that deliveries will commence in the first half of the year.

Speaking of the wider market and Tesla’s anticipated trends in the year ahead, Kong said, “After the official termination of state [EV] subsidies, it is expected that China’s new energy vehicle market will enter a new stage of development. At the same time, we are also looking forward to accelerating the release of vitality in the Chinese auto market after the end of the pandemic, strengthening communications with overseas markets, and continuously improving consumption in the Chinese market while also contributing to “Made in China” going overseas.”

Kong also said, “There is no doubt that China’s subsidy policy for new energy vehicles has completed the historical role of guiding the transformation of China’s new energy vehicle market. The state subsidies for new energy vehicles have completely become history, which indicates that China’s new energy vehicle market has really thrown away its policy “crutches” and begun to mature. EVs are facing competition with fuel vehicles under the market economy.”

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Finally, Kong mentioned that throughout the past three years, Tesla has also participated in the construction of China’s increasingly complete EV industrial chain, and that more than 95% of its components are sourced domestically. Tesla also attaches great importance to training talent in the country’s new energy industry. More than 99% of employees at the firm’s Shanghai production plant are Chinese.