Tesla delivers first China-made Model 3 sedans

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tesla has started delivering Model 3 electric cars built at its Shanghai factory in just under a year since it began work on the $2 billion plant, setting a record for global automakers in China, and said it would ramp up deliveries from next month, Reuters reports.

The U.S. electric vehicle maker marked the start with an event on Monday, December 30 where 15 Tesla employees received cars they had purchased, one who whom took the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend after receiving his new set of wheels.

The China-made Model 3 sedans are priced 355,800 yuan ($50,000) before subsidies.

In comparison, its imported Model 3 vehicles start at 439,000 yuan for the longer-range version and the standard range plus model costs under $40,000 in the United States.

The Shanghai plant, up and running in 357 days, is part of Tesla’s plans to bolster its presence in the world’s biggest car market and minimize the impact of the U.S.-China trade war.

The automaker, which previously imported all the cars it sold in China, had said it wanted to start deliveries from the Shanghai plant before the Lunar New Year beginning on Jan. 25.