Yahoo Autos Cheaper, Shanghai-Built Tesla Model 3 Now Available to Order in China
Tesla has begun taking orders in China for versions of its Model 3 sedan that will be built at the Gigafactory in Shanghai.
The only China-built Model 3 so far is the Standard Range Plus version, which costs about $6200 less than the equivalent U.S.-imported Model 3.
Model 3s built in China will only be sold in China, at least at first.
As reported by Bloomberg, Tesla has begun taking orders for versions of its Model 3 sedan that will be built at the Gigafactory in Shanghai, China, and sold solely in China. The low-end Standard Range Plus car will cost the equivalent of around $41,300 before China's value-added taxes, a discount of almost $6200 compared to the equivalent Model 3s that are imported from the United States.
Model 3s built at the Chinese Gigafactory won't actually begin to be delivered until six to 10 months from now, according to the configurator on the Tesla China website. The styling, options, and features of the China-built Model 3 look to be identical to those of the U.S.-built car. In China, Tesla has the same seven-day return policy that it offers in the U.S., and a deposit of close to $2900 is required when placing an order. There were reportedly so many people on the Tesla website when ordering went live that the site went down, but we don't yet know how many orders have actually been placed.
Bloomberg points out that Teslas imported into China from the U.S. are subject to tariffs and are ineligible for subsidies from the Chinese government (which would be the equivalent of about $3600), both big reasons for the automaker to start building cars in the country. The Shanghai Gigafactory will also help to seriously speed up delivery wait time for customers in China, another problem with importing cars from the States.
The China-built Model 3 won't be sold in the U.S.-at least not for now-and so far the Standard Range Plus model is the only version that is slated to be built there. But that will likely soon change, as Tesla's goal is to build 500,000 cars a year at the Shanghai Gigafactory, a big step up from the 16,360 Teslas that were sold in China in 2018. So expect more Model 3 trims to be built at the factory in the near future. And the new Model Y crossover is set to be produced there as well, possibly for global export.
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