In total, Tesla sold 320,743 units, while Wuling Hong Motors sold 395,451 units of its Guang MINI electric vehicle.
While the Tesla Model 3 might be the bestselling electric car in the world, the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV is the EV that’s giving the compact sedan a very tough competition in China, according to figures from China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Apart from its size, the small EV had far outsells the Tesla Model Y in 2021.
With 395,451 units sold, the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV closed 2021 on a high note in China. The company has also sold more than 500,000 units in just 19 months since June 2020, representing a growth rate of 7 percent YoY. This Chinese company sold more small electric vehicle than the combined total of 320,743 units sold by Tesla.
In December 2021, Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV was the only vehicle to register more than 50,000 units, according to the CPCA. The small electric hatchback achieved an all-time monthly record in China by selling 50,561 units in December 2021, representing a growth rate of 42.9% yoy.
In China in 2021, the BYD Qin was the second bestselling electric car with 187,227 units sold. In third was Tesla Model 3 with 150,890 units sold. The Tesla Model Y, on the other hand, had 169,853 units shipped last year, leading the electric SUV and crossover segment.
In December last year, Tesla Model 3 recorded 30,102 units while Model Y recorded 40,500 units. Tesla Model 3 grew by 26.5 percent YoY last month in comparison to the same month in 2020.
Despite the fact that the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV is a mini car and can’t really be compared with the more traditional Model 3 or Model Y, its accessibility and affordability is making it popular in China, the biggest market for new energy vehicles.
In December 2021, SAIC, General Motors, and Wuling, the joint venture between automobile companies, had sold a total of 60,372 electric vehicles in China, another record in the country’s EV industry.
