The first batch of Made-in-China Model 3 reservation holders has received notices from Tesla informing them of imminent vehicle deliveries. It seems the all-electric car maker has one more surprise up its sleeve for its Chinese customers.
Future Tesla owners expecting their MIC Model 3s recently received notifications about their impending delivery. According to the announcement, a Tesla delivery specialist will contact Model 3 owners within a week of the notification to confirm the following:
- Requirements for the installation of home chargers and fees
- Vehicle registration info for the reservation holder’s Model 3
- The Model 3’s loan and insurance—if necessary
- The second payment and remaining balance payment
- The delivery location and date
Credit: Tesla China
The Tesla announcement was sent to customers who ordered Midnight Silver, White, and Blue Model 3 units in China. This fits perfectly with recent drone videos from Tesla enthusiasts Wuwa Vision and Jay in Shanghai. Based on footage from recent flyovers of Gigafactory 3, these three color options have so far been assembled in the Shanghai facility.
GF3 has reportedly ramped production of the locally-made Standard Range Plus Model 3 up to 1,000 units per week. Car carriers have been sighted transporting Midnight Silver, White, and Blue Model 3s to delivery centers throughout China recently, too.
Recent developments in China’s government have become beneficial to Tesla as well. For instance, the next-gen automaker qualified for local government incentives for its MIC Model 3 earlier this month. The Chinese government also recently suspended tariffs for US-made vehicles and auto parts, which will be beneficial to Tesla’s import of its Long Range and Performance Model 3 variants into China.
Tesla stands to make quite a profit in the Chinese market in 2020 with the MIC Model and its top-tier variants, particularly with Gigafactory 3 coming fully alive and with Tesla’s imported vehicles being less bogged down by import duties. News broke recently that the automaker plans to raise prices for the top-tier variants of the Model 3 in China starting January 2020, which would increase its gross profits from each car—especially considering China’s recent tariff suspension.
Featured Image Credit: Jay in Shanghai/Twitter
About the Author
Claribelle Deveza
Longtime writer and news/book editor. Writing about Tesla allows me to contribute something good to the world, while doing something I love.