🕒 Last updated on August 14, 2025
A brand-new Chinese electric vehicle has taken the market by storm, breaking sales records within minutes of launch. The car, designed to compete directly with Tesla’s Model Y, attracted an unbelievable rush of buyers as soon as it went on sale.
Record-breaking sales leave buyers waiting over a year
In the first three minutes, orders reached over 200,000 units—an average of more than 1,000 cars sold every second. Even longtime observers of the profession were taken aback by the occasion.
The thrill, however, quickly gave way to a harsh reality check. Buyers quickly learned that the high demand had created one of the longest waiting lists in the electric car market. According to the company, deliveries for the standard version of the vehicle could take up to 56 weeks. That means some customers won’t get their cars until July of next year.
While the company plans to start shipping before the end of the year, the backlog is simply too large to clear quickly. For many eager customers, the thrill of purchase is now mixed with a long countdown.
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CEO tells customers to consider other EV brands
In an unusual move for a competitive market, the company’s CEO publicly told customers that if they need a car soon, they should consider buying from other electric vehicle brands instead.
He pointed out that there are several high-quality China-made new energy vehicles that buyers could look at. He even went so far as to recommend Tesla’s Model Y—one of the most popular EVs worldwide and a direct rival to his own product. The CEO praised the Model Y as a “great car” and reminded customers that Tesla had just announced several promotional offers.
It wasn’t just Tesla on his list. He also suggested the Xiaopeng G7, set to launch this week, and the Ideal i8, which will be released later this month, as worthy alternatives. These suggestions show that he isn’t afraid to acknowledge the strengths of other EV makers, even if it means sending potential buyers to competitors.
This kind of open recommendation is rare in the automotive industry, where most companies aim to keep buyers within their own brand. But it highlights just how serious the waiting time problem has become for this model.
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It’s also not the first time the CEO has spoken positively about competitors. In the past, he has publicly applauded Tesla’s progress in Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, showing a level of professional respect rather than rivalry alone.
Production speeds and ambitious targets
Despite the delays, the company is no stranger to rapid production. Its manufacturing plant is considered one of the most efficient car assembly lines in the world. At full capacity, it can produce a car every 76 seconds—a pace that many automakers would envy.
In July, the company achieved its best-ever monthly shipment figure, delivering over 30,000 vehicles. This record highlights the brand’s growing strength in the EV market.
However, even with such impressive speeds, the sheer size of the order list for this particular model has overwhelmed production. The company is also working on other vehicles, including the high-performance SU7 Ultra, which adds extra pressure on its manufacturing capabilities.
The CEO has set a target to deliver 300,000 cars in total this year, a goal that reflects his ambition for the brand. To reach it, the company will need to keep production lines running at full speed for months on end.
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Still, demand for the newly launched model is outpacing supply. With a backlog stretching well into next year, buyers are left with two choices: wait patiently for delivery or follow the CEO’s advice and choose another EV that’s ready now.
For those willing to wait, the promise of owning one of the most talked-about electric cars in China may be worth it. But for others, driving away in a Tesla or another local brand could be the faster route to going electric.