Tesla China recorded another year-over-year sales increase in August, although Giga Shanghai cooled off after posting its strongest month of 2026 in July.
According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) released last week, Tesla sold 86,166 China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in August. As with all preliminary figures out of China, that amount includes both vehicles delivered within the country and those exported to markets including Europe, Asia Pacific and Canada.
A breakdown between domestic sales and imports should be announced later this week.
August Sales Cool From July High
August was up 3.6% compared with the 83,192 vehicles sold during the same month last year. However, it was down 7.9% from July, when Giga Shanghai recorded 93,579 wholesale sales.
That makes August Tesla China’s third-best month of 2026, behind July and June’s 89,091 vehicles. It was also the tenth consecutive month in which sales increased year-over-year.
The slower growth looks more dramatic when compared with July, when wholesale sales jumped nearly 38% from a year earlier. Much of that increase came from exports.
As we reported last month, Tesla shipped a record 66,330 vehicles out of Giga Shanghai in July, a 143% increase from July 2025. Exports represented nearly 71% of the factory’s total volume, while just 27,249 vehicles were delivered domestically.
With September being the final month of the third quarter, we should see a significant increase in domestic sales this month, while exports should also drop. That is because of Giga Shanghai’s production cycles, which prioritizes for export markets in the first half of a quarter, before switching to domestic deliveries in the second half.
Giga Shanghai Still Having a Strong 2026
Despite the month-over-month decline in August, Giga Shanghai is still having a strong year. Through the first eight months of 2026, wholesale sales reached 647,694 vehicles, up 25.6% compared with the same period last year and above the previous January-through-August record set in 2023.
Always get the latest - make Drive Tesla your preferred source on Google
Are you buying a Tesla? If you enjoy our content and we helped in your decision, use our referral link to get three months of Full Self-Driving (FSD).Drive Tesla uses affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
