Cars charge at a Tesla super charging station in Arlington, Virginia on August 13. Photo: AFP

US-based electric automaker Tesla reported strong sales in China in November, the third consecutive month it sold more than 50,000 cars in the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) market that is still running at full throttle, industry data showed on Wednesday.

According to statistics released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla sold 52,859 China-made cars last month, following robust sales in September (56,006) and October (54,391). 

The US company's win in China cannot be separated from China's robust EV market. EV sales in China hit 378,000 last month, up 122.3 percent year-on-year and up 19.8 percent compared with October, the CPCA said on Wednesday.

The role of China has grown increasingly significant for the US automaker as its Shanghai Gigafactory has become a crucial export hub. In November, Tesla exported 21,127 vehicles from China, the CPCA said. 

That sent the Shanghai Gigafactory's deliveries to more than 400,000 from January to November, growing 242 percent year-on-year, Tesla told the Global Times in a statement on Wednesday. 

US industry media outlet Electrek said that the Shanghai Gigafactory has become Tesla's primary export hub, exceeding the Fremont factory in the US state of California in overall production capacity.

"During the transition process of China's new-energy market, shifting from 'policy-oriented' to 'market-oriented,' Chinese consumers have become an important cornerstone of the vigorous development of China's new-energy market," Tesla said in the statement. 

According to the CPCA, Chinese EV maker BYD sold 90,546 vehicles in November, while rival Nio sold 10,878 cars.

In the global EV market, China accounted for 61 percent in October and around half from January to October, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the CPCA. 

However, the CPCA said total passenger car sales in China in November totaled 1.85 million, down 12.5 percent from a year earlier. 

Global Times