Tesla experience center in Shanghai, China Photo: VCG

US electric carmaker Tesla is seeking to further expand its presence in the Chinese market, saying that it will create more value in China “a land full of vigor and vitality,” an executive said on Tuesday, noting various development goals outlined in the report to the ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In a statement sent to the Global Times on Tuesday, Tao Lin, vice president of Tesla, noted that the report reiterated the basic tone of expanding opening-up, saying that Tesla has been a beneficiary of China's opening-up drive over the past years.

"Tesla was able to become China's first wholly foreign-owned auto company only on the premise of the Chinese government's liberalization of foreign shareholding ratios. We are very proud to become one of the achievements of China's reform and opening-up policies," said Tao.

According to Tao, Tesla has not only delved deeper into China's huge market, but has also become an important link of China's new-energy vehicle (NEV) sector, and, along with Chinese enterprises, supported Chinese economy's globalization.

Tao also noted that the report to the 20th CPC National Congress expounded China’s plans to build a modern industrial system, focus on developing the real economy, and accelerate the building of a manufacturing power.

Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory 3 has become “an important member of China's modern industrial system,” and has cooperated with suppliers in China to continuously promote the research and development and innovation of various core technologies, the transformation of scientific and technological progress into productive forces, and to put “innovation will remain at the heart of China's modernization drive” stated in the report into practice.

Data released by the China Passenger Car Association showed that Tesla's Shanghai plant had delivered 483,074 vehicles to consumers in the first nine months of 2022, approaching the total number for last year.

In particular, Tesla's production base in Shanghai exported a large number of cars to overseas markets. In 2021, Tesla China delivered more than half of the company's overall vehicle output, while the Shanghai plant delivered more than 160,000 cars to overseas markets.

The company noted that its more than 95 percent industrial chain localization rate has become a link between Tesla and other Chinese NEV companies for mutual progress, as they work together to demonstrate the great resilience of Chinese manufacturing on the global stage.

"We sincerely believe that Tesla will create more value in China – this land full of vigor and vitality, after it made the achievements of commencing Shanghai plant construction, car production and delivery in the same year," the statement read.

China's NEV market has seen rapid development over recent years and has provided ample opportunities for both domestic and foreign carmakers. In the first three quarters, more than 4 million NEVs were sold in China, up more than 110 percent on a yearly basis and higher than whole-year sales for 2021, according to media reports.

Recently, German carmaker Volkswagen also announced that its software unit will establish a joint venture with Chinese technology firm Horizon Robotics, as the company aims to strengthen its tech presence in China, its biggest market.

Global Times