Tesla’s Made-in-China Model 3 gets official Delivery Date and Special Badge

Tesla has officially announced its estimated delivery date for the Made-in-China Model 3. A picture of Tesla’s most affordable electric vehicle in its lineup reveals that Model 3 reservation holders in China will receive their cars within the next few months. The Model 3’s made in Gigafactory 3 were also revealed to be slightly different from those sold in the United States and Europe. 

According to the image Tesla China released, it expects to deliver Model 3’s made in Gigafactory 3 by Q1 2020, which means that reservation holders can expect their vehicles between January and March next year. Tesla’s base in China is intended to produce the Model 3 and Model Y, but the electric car company will focus on manufacturing the sedan first. 

Tesla fans will notice a special badge placed at the back of the car, which isn’t found in US-made models. The Model 3 in China will be released with a special badge which reads “Tesla,” if translated into English. 

Gigafactory 3 is expected to produce affordable trims of the Model 3. The Standard Range Plus RWD variant costs US$39,490 in the United States. The Model 3 depicted in Tesla’s teaser is priced at CN¥355,800 or about US$50,800. 

The official price is higher than Bloomberg’s estimated cost. The media outlet predicted the made-in-China Model 3 would cost around CN¥328,000 or about US$46,000 after the Chinese government exempted the electric car company from its 10 percent sales tax on cars. 

Tesla has not released information about the Model 3 variant being produced in Gigafactory 3. The specific trim of the car does affect the price of the sedan in the Chinese market. Also, the Model 3 in China will be delivered with Autopilot already installed. The listed price includes Tesla’s driver-assist system, which wasn’t the case when the company’s US-made vehicles were first released. 

Official announcement from Tesla China 🇨🇳

Made in China Model 3 estimate delivery time: Q1 2020

Price: 355,800 RMB (around $50.8k)

Comes with Autopilot $TSLA #Tesla #China #Model3 pic.twitter.com/ZEmpx82Ppk

— Vincent (@vincent13031925) October 25, 2019

This past April, Tesla announced that all variants of its vehicles—except the US$35,000 Model 3 Standard Range—would be sold with Autopilot already installed without any extra cost to the buyer. Prior to this, Tesla owners would have to purchase basic Autopilot separately for an additional cost.

Tesla still needs a sales certification in China to sell the Model 3 in the local market. The status of the certification is unknown. However, Tesla China’s recent teaser may be an indication that the sales certification process is going well.