Tesla reportedly had a very strong first month of the year at its locations across the globe, seemingly in direct response to the US EV maker’s price cuts. According to folks who keep close tabs on Tesla factory production and deliveries, Giga Shanghai has been extremely busy, and a huge batch of exports was just cleared from Shanghai’s Southport Terminal a few days ago.
We’ve heard stories about how Tesla’s price cuts in the US are strongly accelerating sales, which makes perfect sense, as it’s also encouraging Tesla’s rivals to lower prices. Tesla has also been significantly reducing prices in China as it ramps up production after major upgrades to the factory late last year. Now that Giga Shanghai is essentially capable of producing more cars than Tesla typically sells domestically and abroad, the automaker appears to be ramping up exports yet again.
As you can see from the video below produced by drone videographer and social media influencer Wu Wa, Tesla has been once again loading up the ports in China with Teslas for export. Not long after the vehicles arrived and packed the port, thousands were loaded to head to new owners overseas. The YouTube influencer captured footage of the EVs being loaded on ships on January 19, 2023, right in the midst of China’s Spring Festival.
Taking another drone trip to the terminal just 10 days later, on January 29, there were literally no Tesla EVs left anywhere at the port. Check out the video at the top of the page to see it for yourself. Wu Wa writes:
“On the second day of the Chinese Spring Festival holiday, Tesla has been emptied at Shanghai’s Nangang terminal, and there is no longer a Tesla to be seen at the port. Tesla Shanghai factory has resumed work today (January 29) …”
As we recently reported, it appears Tesla has revamped its production and delivery practices to begin the new year. Rather than waiting until the end of the quarter and the end of the year to “catch up” on deliveries, the automaker reduced prices and ramped up deliveries right off the bat. This was true in China and the US. Perhaps the goal is to get the numbers up to such heights that the remainder of the year won’t be so much of a struggle.
Now, thanks to the continued drone footage from Wu Wa, we know that Tesla is also continuing with massive waves of export deliveries as well, not to mention the fact that the EV maker’s new factory in Germany has been ramping up production simultaneously. As the quarter moves on, Tesla will likely revert back to producing EVs at Giga Shanghai for the domestic market, though we’ll have to wait and see if it follows its typical plans or moves in a new direction.
How many EVs do you think Tesla will deliver in Q1 2023? The automaker hopes to produce between 1.8 and 2 million vehicles for the year as a whole. Will it meet or exceed its guidance? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.
