Although Taiwan’s development of EVs has lagged behind the global average, Tesla is still registering remarkable growth in the Taiwanese market, especially with regards to the entry-level Model 3, which has been selling like hotcakes domestically.
On June 30th, Tesla’s Taiwanese branch announced its sales volume for 2Q21, with the popular Model 3 selling more than 1,000 units in May and 600 units in June for a combined 1,600 license plate registrations, a 20% QoQ growth as well as the best sales performance since the Model 3 arrived in Taiwan.
While Tesla’s online sales have been remarkable, the company has in recently years expanded its physical sales locations at a feverish pace in Taiwan. Tesla will open its second service center in northern Taiwan (the first in New Taipei) in July, located on Huacheng Road in Xinzhuang. The facility acts as a vehicle showroom, sales center, training facility, and repair shop, thereby massively raising Tesla’s service volume and speed in Taipei and New Taipei.
The other reason for Tesla’s dominance in Taiwan has to do with its massive supercharging network. Tesla will in the near future build two additional superchargers in Taoyuan and Hsinchu, bringing the domestic total to 30. For Tesla owners worried about charging problems, this increased penetration of superchargers is undoubtedly a boost of confidence.
Within the top 10 ranking of the bestselling cars in Taiwan, the Tesla Model 3 already reached sixth place as of May while also being the most expensive vehicle and the highest-selling import luxury sedan on the list. Compared to 2020, during which Tesla sold about 5,800 cars in total, the company’s growth in Taiwan this year appears likely to continue.
When Teslas appeared on the streets of Taipei a year or two ago, they tended to attract much attention, but most residents have by now gotten used to their presence. So common are Teslas now, that one can frequently catch several stopping together in front of a red light, and this can be said to represent the pace of change in the world. Moving into 2H21 or even 2022, one both looks forward to Tesla’s continued growth in Taiwan and hopes more EV brands can enjoy increased visibility, thereby enabling a more comprehensive market.
(Image: Tesla)