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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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4 years ago

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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. 

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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. 

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.

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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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Investor's Corner

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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3 hours ago

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July 14, 2026

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Credit: Lucid

Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.

Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”

Twork said:

Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.

Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.

Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.

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Tesla owner attempts resale of Model S Signature Edition for over $260k

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6 hours ago

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July 14, 2026

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Credit: Tesla

A Tesla owner who purchased a Model S Signature Edition, one of the final 250 units of the all-electric flagship vehicle that the company discontinued earlier this year, is attempting to sell the car despite a no-resale clause that prohibits reselling for the first year.

The car is being sold by J&S Autohaus in Ewing, New Jersey, and is priced at $260,490, well above the $159,420 that Tesla sold it for earlier this year.

To those who do not know, the Model S Signature was a highly exclusive, limited-run farewell variant of the Model S Plaid that was produced this year to mark the end of production of both the Model S and Model X, Tesla’s two flagship vehicles.

Limited to just 250 units with invite-only sales, it serves as a collector’s item celebrating the legacy of the Model S, which helped pioneer Tesla’s electric vehicle success since its 2012 launch.

It bundles top-tier performance with bespoke cosmetic and luxury upgrades, plus Tesla’s Luxe Package. Here’s what the Model S Signature has over the typical Model S Plaid:

  • Exclusive Exterior – Unique Garnet Red Paint, matching door handles, gold Tesla “T” badges upfront, gold Plaid and Signature badging at the rear.
  • Premium Interior – White Alcantara upholstery with gold piping/accents, gold Plaid seat badges, Signature-marked door sills, individually numbered dashboard plaque, gold puddle lights, special interior lighting sequence, and a custom Signature key fob.
  • Performance Upgrades – Carbon-ceramic brakes with gold calipers
  • Bundled Luxe Package – Full Self-Driving (Supervised), four years of Premium Connectivity, free lifetime Supercharging
  • Performance Metrics – ~1,020 horsepower, sub-2-second 0-60 MPH, ~390-mile range

Tesla quickly introduced a No Resale Agreement for the Signature Editions of the Model S and Model X, which would penalize the seller for “the amount of $50,000 or the value received as consideration for the sale or transfer, whichever is greater.”

The company continues:

“If you sell or otherwise transfer the ownership of your Model S or Model X, the remainder of the Recommended Maintenance, Wheel and Tire Protection Plan, and Windshield Protection Plan will transfer automatically to the buyer. The Full Self-Driving (Supervised), Free Supercharging and Premium Connectivity will not transfer with the vehicle and will terminate once the ownership of the Model S or Model X is transferred.”

Tesla will likely come after the seller, especially as it has been about two months since Tesla launched deliveries.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 Early Impressions: new features and early performance

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10 hours ago

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July 14, 2026

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Credit: TESLARATI

Tesla rolled out Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.3.5 yesterday, and about fifty miles of driving on the new version has given me enough time to highlight what seems to be strong about the release and what is not.

Additionally, Tesla has added a few new features with this specific update, which we’ll highlight as well.

Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 Performance

The new update is business as usual. Things seem to be running completely normal and necessary, but there are a few things that we’ve seemed to pick up on based on our own experience with v14.3.5, as well as what other users are seeing.

Initially, it seems to be more aware of its surroundings, making moves that are incredibly courteous to other drives and operating just a tad more reserved than what the suite might have done previously.

We had two instances where it showed this, the first being FSD needing to pass a Flagger Force vehicle that was placing down signage for the day. Their work truck was right at the front corner of a right-hand turn; typically where most cars travel when they take that turn.

FSD v14.3.5 recognized this, slowed down, and took the turn wide with no issues:

Additionally, v14.3.5 backed up for a semi truck that was making a wide turn onto a road my car was on. This is not new, but it seemed to be backing up for courtesy; it didn’t seem completely necessary, but it might have put some peace of mind in the truck driver’s head:

X user Mike P, also a Pennsylvania native like myself, shared three clips of his Tesla running v14.3.5 performing similar maneuvers. He said:

“FSD turns right into a small alley that only fits one car at a time, sees oncoming car, reverses out of alley to make space, realizes oncoming car is actually parking, re-enters alley.”
Check it out here:

It seems like Speed Profiles are still in need of some tweaking; I am adjusting what Speed Profile I’m in frequently, constantly changing it to get it to travel at the correct speed. This was an issue for me on v14.3.4. It seems like they’re just a little inconsistent.

Terrible Parking

Parking attempts on v14.3.5 were not good. There are quite a few people who have said this:

David Moss, the Tesla owner who has taken multiple coast-to-coast drives without any interventions, also has had some issues with parking early on with v14.3.5:

New Features

Tesla has added the ability to open Camera Preview at any time. Previously, it was only available in Park. Here’s what that feature looks like in action:

Check back later this week for a longer review of what we’ve noticed on Full Self-Driving v14.3.5.

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