Tesla China’s domestic sales were their highest year-to-date in September 2024. This was hinted at in data recently released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
CPCA data has revealed that Tesla China was able to sell 88,321 vehicles wholesale in September 2024. From this number, a total of 16,121 cars were exported to foreign markets. This suggests that over the course of September, Tesla was able to sell a total of 72,200 vehicles in the domestic Chinese market.
$TSLA ??
GOOD NEWS: Tesla China sold 181,883 units to Chinese domestic demand in the third quarter, its strongest quarterly performance since entering the Chinese market.
Tom Zhu and Tesla China team's work is incredible!? pic.twitter.com/CaOWtbyehH— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) October 12, 2024
As noted in a report from CNEV Post, Tesla China’s domestic sales in September represent a 65.95% improvement over the 43,507 vehicles that were sold by the company in September 2023. They also represent a 13.78% improvement over the 63,456 vehicles that were sold domestically in August 2024.
This also means that in the third quarter, Tesla sold a total of 181,883 vehicles in the domestic Chinese market. This represents a year-over-year improvement of 30.27% and a quarter-over-quarter improvement of 24.67%. This bodes well for Tesla China’s reach in China’s local EV market, and it highlights just how prolific the Model 3 and Model Y have become in the country.
China reported 72,200 Tesla sales and 3.4% market share in September. BEV penetration reaches new record of 30.5% and Tesla has 11.2% of this segment. ??
• Market share is 30 basis points or 10% above the 3-month trailing average of 3.1%
• Second best September ever
• +64%… pic.twitter.com/cvX68RYYdq— Roland Pircher (@piloly) October 12, 2024
Overall, Tesla China’s domestic sales have reached 460,200 vehicles from January to September 2024, an increase of 6.1% year-over-year. This is especially impressive for the electric vehicle maker considering that 2024’s domestic sales lagged 2023’s figures for several months.
Tesla China continues to be a growing presence in the company’s overall operations. At the end of September, Tesla China announced that it had successfully exported 1 million vehicles to foreign markets. And on the same day when Tesla North America unveiled the Cybercab and the Robovan in California, Tesla China announced that Gigafactory Shanghai had produced its 3 millionth vehicle.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk echoes worries over Tesla control against activist shareholders
Elon Musk has spoken on several occasions of the “activist shareholders” who threaten his role at Tesla.

Elon Musk continues to raise concerns over his control of Tesla as its CEO and one of its founders, as activist shareholders seem to be a viable threat to the company in his eyes.
Musk has voiced concerns over voting control of Tesla and the possibility of him being ousted by shareholders who do not necessarily have the company’s future in mind. Instead, they could be looking to oust Musk because of his political beliefs or because of his vast wealth.
We saw an example of that as shareholders voted on two separate occasions to award Musk a 2018 compensation package that was earned as Tesla met various growth goals through the CEO’s leadership.
Despite shareholders voting to award Musk with the compensation package on two separate occasions, once in 2018 and again in 2024, Delaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen McCormick denied the CEO the money both times. At one time, she called it an “unfathomable sum.”
Musk’s current stake in Tesla stands at 12.8 percent, but he has an option to purchase 304 million shares, which, if exercised, after taxes, he says, would bump his voting control up about 4 percent.
However, this is not enough of a stake in the company, as he believes a roughly 25 percent ownership stake would be enough “to be influential, but not so much that I can’t be overturned,” he said in January 2024.
I am uncomfortable growing Tesla to be a leader in AI & robotics without having ~25% voting control. Enough to be influential, but not so much that I can’t be overturned.
Unless that is the case, I would prefer to build products outside of Tesla. You don’t seem to understand…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2024
Musk’s concerns were echoed in another X post from Thursday, where he confirmed he has no current personal loans against Tesla stock, and he reiterated his concerns of being ousted from the company by those he has referred to in the past as “activist shareholders.”
The CEO said during the company’s earnings call in late July:
“That is a major concern for me, as I’ve mentioned in the past. I hope that is addressed at the upcoming shareholders’ meeting. But, yeah, it is a big deal. I want to find that I’ve got so little control that I can easily be ousted by activist shareholders after having built this army of humanoid robots. I think my control over Tesla, Inc. should be enough to ensure that it goes in a good direction, but not so much control that I can’t be thrown out if I go crazy.”
The X post from Thursday said:
Just fyi I don’t have personal loans at this time against Tesla stock.
Also, the taxes on the options are ~45%, so net gain in voting control is more like 4%.
It is worrying in that I don’t want to build millions of robots and then potentially be ousted by activists and…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2025
There is a concern that Musk could eventually put his money where his mouth is, and if politicians and judges are able to limit his ownership stake as they’ve been able to do with his pay package, he could eventually leave the company.
The company’s shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve Musk’s pay package. A vast majority of those who voted to get Musk paid still want him to be running Tesla’s day-to-day operations. Without his guidance, the company could face a major restructuring and would have a vastly new look and thesis.
News
People are already finding value in Tesla Robotaxi services
Tesla initially launched its Robotaxi service in Austin, though the company more recently launched it in the Bay Area.

Tesla’s Robotaxi service is still in its earliest days, but some consumers are already finding surprising value in the autonomous ride-hailing system.
This was hinted at in recent comments on social media platform X.
Robotaxi Ramp
Tesla initially launched its Robotaxi service in Austin, though the company more recently launched it in the Bay Area. Tesla’s geofence for its Robotaxi service in the Bay Area is massive, covering several times the area that is currently serviced by rival Waymo.
As noted by the EV community members on social media, going end-to-end in Tesla’s Bay Area geofence would likely take over an hour’s worth of driving. That’s an impressive launch for the Robotaxi service in California, and considering Tesla’s momentum, its California geofence will likely grow substantially in the coming months.
Secret Advantage
As noted by Tesla owner and photographer @billykyle, the Tesla Robotaxi service actually has key advantages for people who travel a lot for their work. As per the Tesla owner, using a Robotaxi service would give back so much of his time considering that he gets about 5-7 shoots per day at times.
“I’ve been reflecting on how much of a game changer this is. As a photographer that runs my own business, servicing clients all around the Philadelphia area, I could ditch having a car and let an autonomous vehicle drive me between my 5-7 shoots I have per day. This would give me so much time back to work and message clients,” the photographer wrote in a post on X.
The Tesla owner also noted that the Robotaxi service could also solve issues with parking, as it could be tricky in cities. The Robotaxi service’s driverless nature also avoids the issue of rude and incompetent ride-hailing drivers, which are unfortunately prevalent in services such as Uber and Lyft. Ultimately, just like Unsupervised FSD, Tesla’s Robotaxi service has the potential to reclaim time for consumers. And as anyone in the business sphere would attest, time is ultimately money.
News
Tesla Robotaxi and Supercharger Diner are killing a dreaded consumer tradition
Tesla is still just charging strictly for its services–while asking for zero tips.

Tesla’s Robotaxi service and its newly launched Supercharger Diner are killing a longtime but increasingly dreaded consumer tradition in the United States. Based on videos taken of consumers using the Robotaxi service in the Bay Area, Tesla is still just charging strictly for its services–while asking for zero tips.
Tesla Services with Zero Tips
When Tesla launched the Robotaxi pilot in Austin, users quickly noticed that the company was not allowing riders to leave a tip for the service. If one were to try leaving a tip after a Robotaxi ride, the app simply flashes an image of Tesla’s meme hedgehog mascot with a “Just Kidding” message.
At the time, this seemed like a small tongue-in-cheek joke from the electric vehicle maker. The initial Robotaxi pilot in Austin was rolled out on a small scale, after all, and some social media users speculated that tipping may eventually just be introduced to the service.
But upon the opening of the Tesla Supercharger Diner, consumers also observed that the facility does not allow tipping. Tesla’s notice is simple: “Gratuity: Tesla covers tipping for staff.” This means that employees who work at the Tesla Diner make enough to not rely on gratuities from consumers.
And with the launch of the Robotaxi service in the Bay Area, users observed once more that Tesla is still not allowing tipping. This was highlighted by longtime Tesla owner @BLKMDL3, who shared a video of the Tesla Robotaxi app also briefly displaying the hedgehog mascot with a “Just Kidding” message when he tried leaving a tip.
Out of Control
As noted in a report from The Guardian, tipping has been a longstanding business practice in the United States, were service workers typically make less than the federal minimum wage. With this system in place, service workers end up relying on gratuities to make ends meet. This was understandable, but after the pandemic, tipping culture ended up going out of control.
On platforms such as Reddit, users have also complained about services like Uber asking for large tips for using their services. Consumers have also shared shocking experiences involving some services that ask for tips. These include self-checkout counters, drive-throughs, hotdog stands, drug stores, a bottled water stall at a jazz festival, an airport vending machine, a used bookstore, a cinema box office, and a children’s arcade, among others.
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla Supercharger Diner food menu gets a sneak peek as construction closes out
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk gives key update on plans for Tesla Diner outside of LA
-
News5 days ago
Tesla hints a smaller pickup truck could be on the way
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk confirms awesome new features at Tesla Diner Supercharger
-
Investor's Corner1 week ago
LIVE BLOG: Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2025 earnings call updates
-
Investor's Corner2 weeks ago
Tesla ‘Model Q’ gets bold prediction from Deutsche Bank that investors will love
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk’s Neuralink posts massive update with new milestone
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla preps to expand Robotaxi geofence once again, answering Waymo