Tesla half-year sales in China reach nearly $1.5 billion

According to a recent document lodged by Tesla with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Tesla's half-year sales in China this year reached $1.47 billion, a 41.8 percent increase compared to the first half of 2018, The Paper reported on Monday.

Sales by Tesla in the first quarter of 2019 were $0.78 billion in China, a 53.3 percent increase compared to the first quarter of last year. And the company recorded $0.69 billion in sales in the second quarter, up 30.9 percent on last year.

China is Tesla's second-largest market, trailing only the United States. Sales by Tesla in the United States reached $5.81 billion in the first half of the year.

Tesla is counting on its Gigafactory in Shanghai to continue its growth in China. The factory, which is currently under construction, is Tesla's first in China and the company hopes to produce 150,000 of its Model 3 cars at the factory when production first ramps up.