Batch of 'affordable' Teslas arrive at Shanghai Customs
More than 1,600 Model 3 cars manufactured by US electric car giant Tesla arrived through the Shanghai Waigaoqiao port on Friday, marking the largest batch of Tesla cars delivered to China's mainland so far.
Tesla also held a ceremony in Beijing to officially start delivery of the Model 3, a highly anticipated Tesla model with the capacity for long-distance driving (up to 600 kilometers on each charge), starting from 433,000 yuan (US$64,270).
It’s the “first and biggest” batch of many Model 3 cars to be delivered to Shanghai, according to Shanghai Customs.
With improved and redesigned work processes, Customs can finish inspection and clearance within “several days,” much faster than previously.
The Model 3, with a price tag of between 433,000 yuan and 570,000 yuan, is seen as the “affordable” Tesla. Comparatively, previous Tesla models are often seen as luxury cars with prices over 1 million yuan including tax.
In January, Tesla broke ground on its Shanghai factory, becoming the first company to benefit from a new policy that allows foreign carmakers to set up wholly-owned subsidiaries in China.
The new plant, Tesla’s first outside the United States, is located in Lingang, southeast Shanghai.