The Driven/Bridie Schmidt: Tesla says Made-in-China Model 3 will be $10,000 cheaper

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Tesla says Made-in-China Model 3 will be $10,000 cheaper

    Posted on May 31, 20193 minute readBridie Schmidt

model 3 china
Source: Twitter/vincent13031925

Tesla China has revealed pricing and specifications for its locally made, upgraded version of its base Model 3 electric sedan, adding the new made-in-China vehicle to its website on Friday morning and confirming a delivery schedule.

While it was expected that the made-in-China version of the Standard Range Plus (SRP) vehicle would be cheaper than its US version, the question was how much.  And now it can be confirmed there is a significant price difference, equating to $A10,000 cheaper.

As can be seen on Tesla’s Chinese Model 3 page, the US-made SRP Model 3 is ¥377,000 ($A79,000 at today’s rates), whereas the Chinese version in only ¥328,000 ($68,800 at today’s rates).

It has the same specs as the USA-made version – 460km range (NEDC cycle), top speed of 225km.hr and acceleration to 0-100km/hr in 5.6 seconds.


Source: Tesla China
Source: Tesla China

The updated order page with pricing was noted online by Chinese-based Tesla fan Vincent, who has reported previously on Tesla developments in China via Twitter.

However, as Vincent points out, for those wanting to take advantage of the cheaper pricing, there will be a long wait.

Production cannot start just yet because Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory 3 is still in its final stages of completion.

A recent flyover of the nearly finished Gigafactory, the land for which was bought just over half a year ago for a price tag of $5 billion, shows the EV maker’s first overseas EV general assembly plant looking all but finished, with some roof areas still to be completed.

A recent job seeker event in Lingang to staff the Shanghai Gigafactory also indicates the opening of the factory can’t be too far off.

Meanwhile, in Australia, reservation holders are still (sometimes not-so) patiently awaiting go live for the Model 3’s online order page, and of course the all-important pricing for Australia.

But what will the cheaper made-in-China SRP pricing mean for Australia?

It’s well known that the higher pricing of electric vehicles in Australia is a huge barrier for many who want to transition to cheaper-to-run, zero emissions transport.

Before Autopilot was made standard on all Tesla vehicles last month, it was thought that the Mdoel 3 in Australia could cost as little as $A60,000 – still expensive as far as cars go but on the lower end of electric vehicle pricing.

As noted last week, Tesla Australia has only applied for certification for two models under the Australian RVCS scheme – the more expensive Long Range and the Performance versions, it is understood.

Only one right hand drive market, the UK,  is currently taking orders for the Model 3, and those are made in the US.

But with Australia’s proximity to China, is it possible that Tesla are waiting to price out RHD made-in-China Model 3s?

If only the Performance and Long Range versions are available here, drivers are likely looking at well in excess of $A90,000 for a Model 3, whereas a US-made SRP Model 3 (based on this handy pricing estimator from aspiring Model 3 owner Alexei Watson) could be as little as $A72,000.

If even only the reduced cost of transport from China were taken into account (we are waiting confirmation of what this might amount to), could Australians be looking again at just under $A70,000 for the cheapest available Model 3? Time will tell.
Bridie Schmidt
Bridie Schmidt

Bridie Schmidt is staff writer for The Driven, and Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, as well as using her technical skills in managing our websites.
Check out our Models pages for news and analysis, reviews and road trips on this and all EV models currently or soon to be available in Australia.
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    Tesla says Made-in-China Model 3 will be $10,000 cheaper
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