Tesla sales of China-made electric vehicles up 18% in January

Tesla sales of China-made electric vehicles up 18% in January

BEIJING (Reuters) – Tesla Inc sold 66,051 China-made electric vehicles in January, data published by the China Passenger Car Association showed on Friday.

That was up 18% from December, when the U.S. electric car maker sold 55,796 China-made vehicles, and 10% higher versus January last year.

Teslas Shanghai plant in December cut output by about a third from November, and extended a Lunar New Year holiday period for workers in January, to cope with rising inventory.

The company now plans to step up output at its Shanghai plant over the next two months to meet demand spurred by price cuts early last month on its best-selling models, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a planning memo and a person with knowledge of the plan.

Tesla was the second best-selling electric vehicle maker in China last month after BYD Co Ltd which shipped 150,164 cars, the CPCA said.