If December sales were 60,000 units, Tesla China would have sold 167,250 units in the fourth quarter, accounting for 54 percent of its global deliveries.

(Graphic by CnEVPost)

Tesla China could sell more than 60,000 units in December, local media outlet Yicai said today, citing industry sources.

The report did not provide more details on the sales figures, which, if proven true, would be a new single-month high for Tesla China's sales.

It's worth noting that Tesla China's sales figures include its local sales as well as exports.

Tesla China's previous sales record was 56,006 units in September 2021, including 3,853 units exported.

If January sales were 60,000, then Tesla China's sales in the fourth quarter would be 167,250 units, or 54 percent of its global deliveries.

Tesla delivered a record 308,600 vehicles worldwide in the fourth quarter, up 70.9 percent from a year earlier and 27.9 percent from the third quarter, the company showed in figures released Sunday.

Tesla may have delivered only up to orders through October 2021 in December due to a surge in orders and a shortage of parts supply, including chips, according to Yicai.

The delivery cycle for some of Tesla's orders has begun to exceed 70 days, exceeding the previous commitment of 6 to 10 weeks, so the delivery cycle becomes 12 to 16 weeks, according to the report.

On December 31, Tesla raised the price of the entry-level Model 3 by RMB 10,000 to the latest RMB 265,652 and the entry-level Model Y was raised by RMB 21,088 to RMB 301,840.

Both models currently have delivery dates of 12-16 weeks, meaning that consumers who reserve now will have to wait until at least mid-March for delivery.

As of now, of all Tesla's models for sale in China, only the entry-level Model 3 is priced below RMB 300,000, making it the only model from the company that is eligible for China's state subsidies. The price of the entry-level Model Y is just above the RMB 300,000 threshold.

As prices of both raw materials and chips continue to rise and delivery delays add unnecessary communication costs, Tesla has chosen to raise prices as a result, according to Yicai.

Tesla is even making the Model Y unavailable for any subsidies, which in part it is actively reducing orders to ease delivery pressure, the report said.