Tesla China employees work 13 hours a day without a day off to meet sales targets
Tesla sales representatives told reporters that they are forced to work nearly 13 hours a day, without lunch breaks or weekends, as sales of the brand's electric cars in China are falling.
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"The times when we didn't have to work hard on product presentations and orders came 'automatically' are gone forever," one salesperson who decided to quit Tesla told Jiemian News.
According to Tesla sales staff in Beijing, the company's current requirements call for closing at least one sale a day, which equates to about 30 cars a month. However, many salespeople struggle to sell even 3-4 cars a week despite "convincing" customers.
The tense working environment has led to unprecedented staff turnover. In one shop in Beijing, an entire sales department is completely renewed about every one and a half months.
New sales staff face a rigorous onboarding process - they must master product knowledge within three days, passing daily tests. By the fourth day, the first deals must be closed, or they face dismissal. "Only those who are able to close sales quickly can stay," explained one insider.
According to the China Passenger Car Association, Tesla's wholesale sales fell 21.8 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, while retail sales were virtually unchanged. These results are in stark contrast to the performance of Tesla's main Chinese rival BYD, which grew 18.8 per cent in the same period.
Industry analysts attribute Tesla's difficulties in China to a short and rapidly aging model lineup that has not kept pace with the growth and innovation of Chinese automakers. The refreshed Tesla Model Y crossover gave a small boost early in the year but failed to make a dramatic difference.
Source: Sina
