Tesla said on Tuesday that it has produced its 9 millionth electric vehicle at its Shanghai factory, marking another milestone for the U.S. automaker’s largest manufacturing base worldwide. The milestone vehicle was a Model Y, which the company said remains the world’s best-selling passenger vehicle.
The Model Y topped global passenger vehicle sales in 2023, according to data from JATO Dynamics, and retained the top position in 2024 based on figures from Statista, Tesla said. The Shanghai-made vehicle underscores the factory’s central role in Tesla’s global production and export strategy.
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Tesla began construction of its Shanghai Gigafactory in January 2019, with production starting later that year. The site became the first wholly foreign-owned automotive manufacturing plant in China. It delivered its first locally produced Model 3 vehicles to Chinese customers in January 2020, followed by the start of Model Y deliveries in January 2021.
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The factory reached its one-millionth vehicle milestone in August 2022 and produced its two-millionth unit in September 2023, less than four years after operations began.
According to Tesla, the third and fourth million vehicles rolled off the production line in October 2024 and December 2025, respectively. With an annual production capacity exceeding 1 million units, the Shanghai facility serves both the domestic Chinese market and export destinations worldwide.