From January to March, Tesla Model Y retail sales in China were 94,647 units, second only to BYD Song's 141,415 units.
The Model Y typically sees good results in an SUV ranking in China when Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) delivers more vehicles to local consumers at the end of each quarter.
The Model Y sold 54,937 retail units in China in March, placing it at No. 1 on the list of best-selling SUVs in the country, according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on April 11.
Sales of the Tesla SUV in China last month rose 38.28 percent from 39,730 units a year earlier and 115.22 percent from 25,526 units in February, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.
BYD Song was the second best-selling SUV in China in March with 40,114 units sold at retail, according to the CPCA's ranking. BYD Yuan Plus ranked third with 27,907 units.
The BYD Song remained the best-selling SUV in China from January to March, with 141,415 units sold at retail, up 91.9 percent year-on-year.
The Tesla Model Y ranked second with 94,647 retail sales in China in January-March, up 26.7 percent year-on-year.
BYD Yuan Plus ranked third with 62,528 retail sales in January-March.
Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 sedan as well as the Model Y. Its pattern is to produce cars for export in the first half of each quarter and for the local market in the second half.
Tesla delivered 76,663 units in China in March and exported 12,206, according to data released by the CPCA on April 10.
Model 3 retail sales in China in March were 21,726 units, down 16.52 percent year-on-year and up 158.74 percent from February, according to the CPCA's latest figures.
This puts that Tesla sedan in 5th place in the March new energy sedan sales rankings, with BYD Qin in first place with 43,230 sales and BYD Dolphin in second place with 27,687 units.
From January to March, the Model 3 sold 42,782 units in China, up 27.3 percent year-on-year, making it the fifth best-selling new energy sedan in China during this period.
BYD Qin ranked first in new energy sedan sales from January to March with 87,955 retail units, while Hongguang Mini EV was second with 69,842 units and BYD Dolphin was third with 67,951 units.
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