China

Tesla China Leak Hints at Crazy Model 3 Demand Ahead of Gigafactory 3's Full Activation

A tsunami of Model 3 reservations flooded a Tesla store recently right after Gigafactory 3 was opened to Chinese media and Elon Musk’s electric sedan cruised through the streets of Shanghai. Gifactory 3 will need to go on overdrive to meet the influx of China-made Tesla Model 3 reservations.

A leaked email notification of a sales representative from Tesla China revealed that Model 3 sedans are highly requested and are in high demand, despite TSLAQ predictions. It seems that once GF3 is running at full capacity, sustainability of demand will be far from Tesla’s mind. The Elon Musk-led company will be too busy making deliveries—hopefully on time.

According to a previous Tesmanian report, there is a high demand for Tesla in China. Alexander Potter from Piper Jaffray studied Tesla Sales in China and made the conclusion.

Tesla China just recently opened Gigafactory 3's doors to Chinese media. The staff at GF3 showed the press how well its locally-made Model 3 ran during a test run. Tesla China didn’t stop there, though. Five made-in-China Model 3 units took to the streets of Shanghai for everyone to see.

 

Currently, Gigafactory 3 is waiting for its manufacturing license. Once it does, Tesla’s Shanghai facility is expected to produce 3,000 units a week. Tesla China has already hinted at possible delivery dates for early-production Model 3 units.

In a teaser released in late October, Tesla China announced early reservation-holders could receive their Model 3 deliveries by Q1 2020. However, in a second teaser, the China-based electric automaker announced a cryptic message teasing that the made-in-China Model 3 is “coming soon.” Whether the Tesla Model 3 delivery date has been moved up or it is referring to the Q1 2020 date from the first teaser is unclear.

A few Tesla enthusiasts believe the second teaser may have hinted that the China-made Model 3 will be up for sale for Singles Day on November 11, but this is just speculation for now. So far, Tesla does seem to be ramping up for something big. Opening Gigafactory 3 to Chinese media and early-production Model 3 units roaming the streets may just be the beginning.

About the Author

Claribelle Deveza

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.

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