According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on May 7th, Tesla's wholesale sales of electric vehicles manufactured in China in April were 62167 units, a decrease of 18% from the same period last year.
Tesla's cars manufactured in China are also exported to multiple markets, including Europe, but the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers has not disclosed detailed export data by destination.
According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, sales of new energy vehicles in China, including pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, are expected to reach 800000 units in April, a year-on-year increase of 33%. Tesla's main competitor BYD sold over 312000 vehicles in April, a year-on-year increase of 48.97% and a month on month increase of 3.5%.
Tesla's market performance is contrary to the overall environment, with the company's growth rate in the first quarter being the slowest in a year. Faced with declining sales, Tesla is adjusting its strategy to shift towards more diversified technology fields.
According to relevant sources, Tesla plans to invest more energy in projects such as autonomous driving software, robot taxis, and humanoid robot Optimus to maintain market confidence due to the decline in car product sales. For cost saving purposes, the company may reduce expenses for certain teams to retain cash.
To achieve this goal, Tesla has recently taken multiple measures. The company has laid off more than 10% of its workforce globally and suspended its innovation plan in integrated die-casting technology. This body manufacturing method was developed by Tesla and has been adopted by multiple new energy vehicle companies.
Tesla plans to shift back to a more traditional three-stage casting method, which has been adopted in its two recent models (Model Y new version and Cybertruck pickup).
Tesla also plans to further lay off employees in the coming months, including some executives. Musk once warned executives that failure to implement a higher proportion of layoffs would lead to the risk of executives being fired themselves.
A series of chaos has caused dissatisfaction among Tesla's partners - Matt Teske, CEO of Chargeway, said that Tesla's recent actions "do not seem like a well thought out brand and product development strategy."
Under the background of sales pressure, FSD (Full auto drive system) may become one of the keys for Tesla to reverse the situation.
On April 28th, Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited China, marking his second visit within a year. It is widely believed that the main purpose of his visit is to promote the implementation of FSD technology in China.
On the same day, a report released by the China Automotive Association and the National Computer Network Emergency Technology Coordination Center showed that Tesla and several other car manufacturers' newly launched intelligent connected vehicles met the four compliance requirements for domestic data security, taking a crucial step towards compliance for intelligent driving in China.
Analysts at Bank of America believe that Musk's China trip has successfully eliminated obstacles for Tesla to launch FSD software in China, and it is expected that Tesla's FSD profits in China may exceed $2 billion in the next decade.
According to the latest report from multiple sources cited by China Daily, Tesla has proposed to launch an "unmanned taxi" in China. In this regard, the Chinese government may first support its testing and demonstration in China, but has not yet fully approved the full implementation of its FSD in China.
As one of the most advanced assisted driving systems on the market, FSD's successful deployment in China is expected to alleviate Tesla's current sales pressure.
More importantly, FSD's subscription model is expected to bring sustained cash flow to Tesla, thereby supporting its continued investment and innovation in global competition.