Tesla’s China Sales Slump Adds to Worrying Global Slowdown

Tesla Inc.’s China-made wholesale deliveries fell to the lowest in more than 2 1/2-years last month, adding to a troubling slide in global sales at a time Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is increasingly distracted by politics.

The carmaker’s shipments plunged 49% in February from a year earlier to 30,688 vehicles, according to preliminary data from China’s Passenger Car Association. That was the lowest monthly figure since July 2022 when it shipped just 28,217 electric vehicles and compounds a slow start in China — one of Tesla’s most important markets — after it delivered 63,238 vehicles from its Shanghai factory in January.