When Did Tesla Enter China?
3 Answers
Tesla officially entered China on April 22, 2012. Tesla is an American electric vehicle brand founded in 2003, with its headquarters located in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley, California, USA. Tesla's main vehicle models include Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y. The history of Tesla's development in China is as follows: On October 18, 2017, Tesla (Beijing) New Energy Research and Development Co., Ltd. was established. On July 12, 2018, the Tesla (Beijing) Technology Innovation Center was established in Beijing. On January 7, 2019, the first phase of Tesla's Gigafactory, located at the intersection of Lianggang West Avenue and Zhengjia Road in the southeastern part of Shanghai, was announced to start construction. On October 13, 2020, Tesla signed an agreement to settle in Hainan, establishing a new energy vehicle innovation center project. On May 25, 2021, Tesla announced that it had established a data center in China to achieve localized data storage and would gradually add more local data centers. In November 2021, the R&D innovation center and Gigafactory data center in Shanghai were completed and put into use recently. On December 31, 2021, the first Tesla Center in Xinjiang officially opened. On February 11, 2022, Tesla may establish a China Design Center in Beijing.
I remember it was back in 2013 when Tesla first came to China and opened an experience store in Shanghai. At that time, I was fascinated by electric vehicle technology and rushed to try the Model S as soon as I heard about it. It felt very novel, but the price was shockingly high. So much has changed over the years—from imported cars to the domestically produced Model 3 in 2019 after Tesla built its factory in Shanghai. The prices have become much more affordable, and charging stations are now everywhere. Nowadays, I rely entirely on my Tesla for driving. Since Tesla entered the Chinese market, the entire electric vehicle industry has upgraded, with more brands launching similar products, making eco-friendly travel more than just a slogan. Looking back, there were so few choices back then, but now it has become part of daily life. It’s truly amazing how fast times have progressed.
From an automotive enthusiast's perspective, I noted Tesla's official entry into China in 2013 when they opened their first store in Shanghai to begin sales. Initially, they only sold imported Model S vehicles, which came with high prices and premium positioning, but their electric technology was already ahead of traditional automakers at that time. The situation changed dramatically after the Shanghai Gigafactory became operational in 2019 – localized production of the Model 3 brought prices down to around 200,000 RMB, triggering explosive sales growth. This accelerated supply chain upgrades, with components like batteries and autonomous driving systems being localized, while also spurring competition among domestic NEV manufacturers. Overall, Tesla's strategic moves catalyzed a market transformation – from an enthusiast's viewpoint, this was truly an industry turning point that should have happened sooner.
