Tesla's Sales in China Drop 45% Year over Year - CleanTechnica

Tesla's electric vehicle sales in China experienced a significant decline in January 2026, dropping 45% year over year. This decrease marks Tesla's lowest sales volume in China since November 2022. The downturn in China contrasts with a 23% sales decline across 12 European markets during the same period. Tesla delivered only 18,485 vehicles in China in January 2026, down sharply from 33,703 in January 2025 and a steep 80.3% decrease from the company's peak sales month of 93,843 vehicles. Despite the domestic sales slump, Tesla's Shanghai factory exports surged, reaching the company's second-best export volume ever with 50,644 vehicles shipped abroad. This export performance suggests Tesla may be shifting focus to international markets to compensate for weakening consumer demand in China and other regions such as Canada. The article highlights Tesla's current challenge of navigating collapsing demand while leveraging its manufacturing capacity to maintain overall sales momentum.