Tesla has been counting on China to maintain its sales momentum, and it seems to be on track with the plan.
In the three months ended June 30, the automaker’s revenue in China climbed 102.9% year-over-year to $1.4 billion, according to its latest SEC filing. That means China now makes up 23.3% of Tesla’s total revenues of $6 billion in the quarter, compared to just about 11% in the same period a year before.
To increase affordability for Chinese consumers, Tesla inked a 50-year lease from the Shanghai government to build a Gigafactory there, which keeps production costs down and allows it to reap local tax benefits and avoid tariffs. Under the terms of the agreement, the electric vehicle giant needs to pay 2.23 billion yuan ($320 million) in tax to China every year starting at the end of 2023. It must also sink 14.08 billion yuan in capital expenditure into the facility.
Tesla began shipping China-made Model 3 at the end of last year and is on course to add its Model Y, a mid-size electric SUV, to its production in the world’s biggest auto market, the filing shows. Earlier this month, it also started taking reservations in China for its futuristic Cybertruck, which won’t go into production until late 2022.
While shipment in China jumped in the second quarter, Tesla delivered 4.8% fewer vehicles overall in the period due to challenges prompted by COVID-19, including suspended production. The period marked the fourth straight quarter of profitability for the automaker.