Tesla shifts gears in China with robotaxi debut at Shanghai import expo
Tesla will showcase its driverless Cybercab at the CIIE next week, marking its first major event in Shanghai in two years
The US electric vehicle (EV) maker will showcase its Cybercab robotaxi at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), marking the Asia-Pacific debut of its driverless model.
“The trade fair will help Tesla show how it is actively integrating artificial intelligence into the real world,” the company said in a statement. “We are redefining the labour, transportation, and new energy industries.”
Tesla’s comeback to the CIIE comes as its mainland sales fell 6 per cent year on year in the first nine months of 2025, underscoring intensifying competition from local rivals.
Mainland China – the world’s largest automotive and EV market – remains Tesla’s second-largest market after the US.
Its Shanghai Gigafactory, the company’s biggest production hub globally, delivered 432,704 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to mainland customers between January and September, representing 4.9 per cent of the country’s total EV deliveries during that period.
Tesla once commanded a 16 per cent share of China’s EV market when it began local production in 2020, but its share slid to 6.9 per cent last year amid an intensifying price war and the rise of domestic brands.