After many ups and downs, with commercial wars involved, increased prices and a new Gigafactory in Asian lands, Tesla celebrates the delivery of the first Model 3 made in China.
With the regulatory approvals of the Ministry of Industry in its possession, the Californian firm has turned the delivery of the electric car in Shanghai into an event, and the first 15 lucky ones that can be made with one will be Tesla employees.
China as a key market
The Gigafactory 3 is the first plant of the automotive giant outside the US and will open the doors of heaven.
The tariff war between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping caused a price increase in the Asian country since Tesla cars faced a 15% tariff on imports from the United States.
Tesla entrega el primer Model 3 fabricado en China https://t.co/KkP4MFu8Gr
— Sandro Pozzi (@sandro_pozzi) December 30, 2019
With this new plant, Tesla will sell the Model 3 2% cheaper than if it were imported from the US: it will cost around $ 51,000 or € 45,600. The construction of the factory was carried out in just 10 months and promises a production capacity of 150,000 Model 3 a year and 100,000 Model Y.
China-built Tesla Model 3 just got approval from China's industry ministry on purchase tax exemption. Delivery COMING SOON. pic.twitter.com/wYsLX1YQdu
— Tesla Greater China (@teslacn) December 27, 2019
At the moment only a few Tesla employees will receive their cars; The rest will have to wait until January 25, when the new year begins in the Asian country. Those from Palo Alto have also announced that the first Superchargers station in China is already opened to the public.
Tesla China's first V3 Supercharger station is officially open to public, located at Jinqiao, Shanghai. pic.twitter.com/rg6xLCT4HV
— Tesla Greater China (@teslacn) December 27, 2019
The Model 3 will thus compete with local manufacturers of electric cars, including NIO and Xiaopeng Motors, and with global brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which raffle as they can in the Chinese automotive market.
Among the obstacles that Tesla will have to overcome in China is a generalized fall in the sales of new vehicles and the scissoring by the Chinese Government to aid the purchase of electric cars, which swim in turn in a start bubble -ups that die before maturing.
It remains to be seen how the new German Gigafactory that Tesla is going to build on the outskirts of Berlin evolves, and that according to several German media, will host a production of half a million annual electric cars.
Will it be operational by the end of 2021? We will keep reporting.