American EV giantTesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)saw new vehicle registrations in the European Union surge by nearly 67% year-on-year in January. However, its growth was outpaced by a surprising contender: Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC Motors. What Happened: Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) reveals Tesla registered 14,466 new vehicles in January, representing a 66.9% increase year-on-year. Meanwhile, SAIC reported a year-on-year jump of 69.5% with 9,746 new registrations. Headquartered in Shanghai, SAIC features on the Fortune Global 500 list and sold over 5 mill…