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The best Chinese EV manufacturer is an American company: Tesla
The best Chinese EV manufacturer right now happens to be owned by an American company, Tesla. Tesla and America have a lot to be proud of.
During Tesla’s Q2 2022 earnings call yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk complimented the Chinese competition but noted that the best Chinese EV manufacturer is Tesla China.
Elon Musk said that he had a lot of respect for China’s EV manufacturers. He also said that the best Chinese EV manufacturer for right now is Tesla China.
“They’re smart, they’re hardworking, and anybody that’s not as competitive as them will suffer a decline.”
“Right now the best Chinese EV manufacturer is actually Tesla China.”
-->Tesla China & Giga Shanghai Have A Unique History
In 2019, I wrote this article in CleanTechnica highlighting a video by Gali Filche (Hyperchange). Gali pointed out the uniqueness of Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai. In his video Gali said,
“Previous until now, every single car sold in China was built by a Chinese automotive manufacturer or built by a joint venture between a foreign auto company and a domestic partner,” says Gali.
“China is literally changing their policies to cater to Tesla to allow them to come into the region. … Why does China want Tesla instead of every other automaker? It’s because they have the tech.”
To spice up the uniqueness, let’s throw in a trade war between the U.S. and China. Gali said,
“As much as people say ‘Tesla is a fraud … how are they going to compete with foreign automakers? … Elon Musk is a horrible CEO he has high executive turnover’ I look at how the company has managed to navigate one of the most complex geopolitical scenarios in modern history and actually turn its incredible friction between its two biggest markets into a massive competitive advantage is brilliant management. It’s brilliant execution by Tesla, and it’s a reason why I love to be invested in this company,”
-->The fact that Tesla, an American company, is the leading EV manufacturer in China, a country that is leading the manufacturing of EVs, says a lot about Tesla’s innovation.
China Will Continue To Lead If Biden Continues To Put Politics Over EVs
President Biden has said time and again that China is leading the electric vehicle race. He’s also placed his focus on Ford, GM, and a few other automakers that have had nothing to do with electrifying the automotive industry.
Not only did he and his administration outwardly snub Tesla and Elon Musk, but the president seemed to put the needs of his political allies above those of his own goals regarding EVs. I’m referring to the United Auto Workers Union EV event that was held at the White House last year. According to the White House, Tesla was excluded because this was a union event.
When asked why the White House excluded Tesla from the event, Secretary Psaki said,
“We, of course, welcome the efforts of all automakers who recognize the potential of an electric vehicle future and support efforts that will help reach the president’s goal, and certainly, Tesla is one of those companies. Today, it’s the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers and the UAW president who will stand with President Biden as he announces his ambitious new target, but I would not expect this is the last time we talk about clean cars, the move toward electric vehicles, and we look forward to having a range of partners in that effort.”
-->When asked about Tesla being a non-union company, she said that these are the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers.
“Well, these are the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers, so I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.”
President Biden has then since acknowledged Tesla’s leadership in the EV space but the administration is still favoring the automakers who aren’t doing as much as Tesla in this space.
Politricks Aside, Tesla Continues To Lead
Tesla is continuing to lead as it pushes forward in its mission. Recently, there were at least 7,000 Tesla EVs spotted at Shanghai’s Luchao port. Tesla also announced in its Q2 2022 Shareholder Deck that Giga Shanghai is listed with an annual capacity of over 750,000 cars.
I’m sure that in Q3 we will see the results of Giga Texas, Giga Berlin the Fremont factory, and Giga Shanghai combined.
-->Disclaimer: Johnna is a partial Tesla shareholder with under 1 share currently. She plans on buying more and supports Tesla and its mission.
If you have a tip, feel free to send them to johnna@teslarati.com
News
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
-->This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
News
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month.
Tesla’s sales momentum in China strengthened in November, with wholesale volumes rising to 86,700 units, reversing a slowdown seen in October.
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month. This was partly driven by tightened delivery windows, targeted marketing, and buyers moving to secure vehicles before changes to national purchase tax incentives take effect.
Tesla’s November rebound coincided with a noticeable spike in Model Y interest across China. Delivery wait times extended multiple times over the month, jumping from an initial 2–5 weeks to estimated handovers in January and February 2026 for most five-seat variants. Only the six-seat Model Y L kept its 4–8 week estimated delivery timeframe.
The company amplified these delivery updates across its Chinese social media channels, urging buyers to lock in orders early to secure 2025 delivery slots and preserve eligibility for current purchase tax incentives, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Tesla also highlighted that new inventory-built Model Y units were available for customers seeking guaranteed handovers before December 31.
This combination of urgency marketing and genuine supply-demand pressure seemed to have helped boost November’s volumes, stabilizing what had been a year marked by several months of year-over-year declines.
-->For the January–November period, Tesla China recorded 754,561 wholesale units, an 8.30% decline compared to the same period last year. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory continues to operate as both a domestic production base and a major global export hub, building the Model 3 and Model Y for markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, among other territories.
Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
