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Tesla Model Y still China’s top premium SUV in March despite Covid headwinds

(Credit: Tesla Greater China)

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Despite Covid headwinds, the Tesla Model Y is still performing very well in China’s domestic auto market. As per data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the Tesla Model Y was the country’s top-selling premium SUV in March, selling 39,730 units during the month. This was enough to place the Model Y far ahead of its rivals in the premium SUV sector. 

The Mercedes-Benz GLC, for example, is China’s second-best-selling premium SUV, but it only sold 12,748 units in March. The third-best-selling premium SUV, the BMW X3, saw 11,231 sales in the same month. This meant that the Model Y outsold both the No.2 and No.3 SUVs in China three times over in March — a month when Tesla was already experiencing the country’s renewed Covid restrictions. 

With such results, it was no surprise that the Model Y was also China’s best-selling premium SUV for the first quarter. As per CPCA data, a total of 74,681 Model Ys were sold in Q1 2022, putting it far ahead of the Mercedes-Benz GLC, which sold 45,037 in the same period. The BMW X3 was in third place once more, with a total of 39,592 units sold in Q1 2022. 

The Model Y would not be able to achieve its feats in China if it was not supported by a dedicated electric vehicle production facility that was ramping its numbers to a notable degree. It should be noted that the 39,730 Model Ys that were sold in China in March represents a 291.4% increase from the 10,151 that were sold in March 2021. The 74,681 Model Ys that were sold in the first quarter also represented a 354.8% increase from the 16,422 units that were sold in Q1 2021. 

The Model Y’s increasing sales hint at the improving output of Gigafactory Shanghai, which is still being optimized today. Giga Shanghai is key to Tesla’s worldwide expansion, as the facility is currently playing the role of the company’s primary vehicle export hub. Unfortunately, Giga Shanghai has remained closed since the end of March due to Shanghai’s stringent Covid restrictions. 

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It’s not only the Model Y that is performing well in China. Its sibling, the Model 3, has also shown some resilience in the country’s domestic auto market. Tesla Model 3 sales in March were listed at 26,024 units, placing the all-electric premium sedan behind much cheaper rivals such as the SAIC-GM-Wuling’s Hongguang Mini EV, which sold 41,980 units, and the Nissan Sylphy, which sold 30,240. The Model 3 ultimately sold 33,619 units in the first quarter of 2022, which is quite understandable considering Tesla’s focus on the Model Y. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been very optimistic about the Model Y, noting last year that he believes that the all-electric crossover could be on track to become the world’s best-selling car. “I’d say more likely than not that in 2022 Model Y is the best-selling car or truck of any kind in the world,” Musk said, noting that the Model Y might accomplish this sometime in 2022. This timeframe could be adjusted, however, considering the Covid headwinds currently affecting China and Gigafactory Shanghai. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla seeks engineer to make its iOS Robotaxi app feel “magical”

It appears that Tesla is hard at work in ensuring that users of its Robotaxi service are provided with the best user experience possible.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla is hiring an iOS Engineer for its Robotaxi app team, with the job posting emphasizing the creation of polished experiences that make the service not just functional, but “magical.”

Needless to say, it appears that Tesla is hard at work in ensuring that users of its Robotaxi service are provided with the best user experience possible.

Robotaxi App features

As observed by Tesla community members, Tesla has gone live with a job listing for an iOS Engineer for its Robotaxi App. The job listing mentions the development of a “core mobile experience that enables customers to summon, track, and interact with a driverless vehicle. From requesting a ride to enabling frictionless entry, from trip planning to real-time vehicle status and media control.”

Interestingly enough, the job listing also mentioned the creation of polished experiences that make the Robotaxi more than just functional. “You will take full ownership of features—from architecture design to robust implementation—delivering delightful and polished experiences that make Robotaxi not just functional, but magical,” Tesla noted in its job listing.

Apple’s “magical” marketing

Tesla’s use of the word “magical” when referring to the Robotaxi app mirrors the marketing used by Apple for some of its key products. Apple typically uses the word when referring to products or solutions that transform complex technology into something that feels effortless, simple, and natural to daily life. Products such as the AirPods’ seamless pairing with the iPhone and FaceID’s complex yet simple-to-use security system have received Apple’s “magical” branding. 

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With this in mind, Tesla seems intent on developing a Robotaxi app that is sophisticated, but still very easy to use. Tesla already has extensive experience in this area, with the Tesla App consistently being hailed by users as one of the best in its segment. If Tesla succeeds in making the Robotaxi app worthy of its “magical” branding, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if the service sees rapid adoption even among mainstream consumers. 

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Tesla is coming to Estonia and Latvia in latest European expansion: report

Tesla seems to be accelerating its regional expansion following its recent launch in Lithuania.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Recent reports have indicated that Tesla has taken a step toward entering the Baltic states by registering new subsidiaries in Latvia and Estonia.

Filings suggest that Tesla is accelerating its regional expansion following its recent launch in Lithuania, with service centers likely coming before full sales operations.

Official entities in Latvia and Estonia

Tesla has established two new legal entities, Tesla Latvia SIA and Tesla Estonia OÜ, both owned by Tesla International B.V., as noted in an EV Wire report. Corporate records show the Estonian entity was formed on December 16, 2025, while the Latvian subsidiary was registered earlier, on November 7.

Both entities list senior Tesla executives on their boards, including regional and finance leadership responsible for new market expansion across Europe. Importantly, the entities are registered under “repair and maintenance of motor vehicles,” rather than strictly vehicle sales. This suggests that Tesla service centers will likely be launched in both countries.

The move mirrors Tesla’s recent Baltic rollout strategy. When Tesla entered Lithuania, it first established a local entity, followed by a pop-up store within weeks and a permanent service center a few months later. It would then not be surprising if Tesla follows a similar strategy in Estonia and Latvia, and service and retail operations arrive in the first half of 2026.

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Tesla’s European push

Tesla saw a drop in sales in Europe in 2025, though the company is currently attempting to push more sales in the region by introducing its most affordable vehicles yet, the Model 3 Standard and the Model Y Standard. Both vehicles effectively lower the price of entry into the Tesla ecosystem, which may make them attractive to consumers.

Tesla is also hard at work in its efforts to get FSD approved for the region. In the fourth quarter of 2025, Tesla rolled out an FSD ride-along program in several European countries, allowing consumers to experience the capabilities of FSD firsthand. In early December, reports emerged indicating that the FSD ride-along program would be extended in several European territories until the end of March 2026. 

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Elon Musk’s X will start using a Tesla-like software update strategy

The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.

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Ministério Das Comunicações, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk’s social media platform X will adopt a Tesla-esque approach to software updates for its algorithm.

The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.

X’s updates to its updates

As per Musk in a post on X, the social media company will be making a new algorithm to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users. These updates would then be repeated every four weeks. 

“We will make the new 𝕏 algorithm, including all code used to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users, open source in 7 days. This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed,” Musk wrote in his post.

The initiative somewhat mirrors Tesla’s over-the-air update model, where vehicle software is regularly refined and pushed to users with detailed release notes. This should allow users to better understand the details of X’s every update and foster a healthy feedback loop for the social media platform.

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xAI and X

X, formerly Twitter, has been acquired by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI last year. Since then, xAI has seen a rapid rise in valuation. Following the company’s the company’s upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, estimates now suggest that xAI is worth tens about $230 to $235 billion. That’s several times larger than Tesla when Elon Musk received his controversial 2018 CEO Performance Award. 

As per xAI, the Series E funding round attracted a diverse group of investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among others. Strategic partners NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also continued support for building the world’s largest GPU clusters.

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