Beyond the Noise: Auditing the Sales Race Between Tesla and Xiaomi

The closing months of the year have clarified the competitive landscape between Xiaomi and Tesla in China. Despite lingering online rumors suggesting Xiaomi’s monthly deliveries had stalled at negligible levels, the audited data provides a different picture of the market’s actual dynamics.

The December Surge

In December 2025, Xiaomi Auto recorded over 50,000 deliveries, marking a new historical peak for the newcomer. This followed a consistent three-month period where volumes held steady above the 40,000-unit mark.

Tesla China simultaneously demonstrated its institutional strength. December retail sales reached 93,843 units—a single-month record for the domestic market. Total wholesale figures, including exports, climbed to 97,171, solidifying Tesla’s position at the top of the premium electric vehicle hierarchy.

Performance Summary

For the full year, Xiaomi achieved a cumulative delivery total exceeding 400,000 vehicles. The expansion from the SU7 sedan to the YU7 SUV proved essential in maintaining this momentum, as the new model contributed significantly to the year-end push.

Tesla’s annual performance in China remained dominant, despite a slight year-over-year contraction. Domestic retail for the year totaled 625,698 units, with wholesale volume reaching 851,732. While the decline in retail reflects an increasingly crowded market, the massive December performance suggests that Tesla’s pricing and product strategies still command significant market gravity.

Market Outlook

The discrepancy between social media narratives and delivery data highlights the volatility of the EV sector’s public discourse. By the end of 2025, Xiaomi had established itself as a high-volume player, while Tesla continued to define the ceiling of the Chinese market.

As the industry moves forward, the focus shifts toward the sustainability of these growth trajectories. Both manufacturers face new challenges in production capacity and product diversification that will determine the next phase of market share distribution.

References:

• Gizmochina: “Xiaomi Auto delivers over 50000 vehicles in December…”
• CNEVPost: “Xiaomi EV says it made record-breaking deliveries of over 50,000…”
• CarNewsChina: “Xiaomi delivered over 400,000 cars in 2025…”
• CNEVPost: “Tesla retail sales in China hit record-high of 93,843 in Dec 2025”
• CNEVPost: “Tesla China’s Dec wholesale sales rise to 97,171”
• Teslarati: “Tesla China sees 2nd-best month ever by selling 97,171 vehicles wholesale in December”