Tesla claimed via its Weibo account that the first long-range RWD version of the China-made Model 3 was handed over to Chinese consumers on May 20, only forty days after the presale kicked off.
Some local media outlets reported in early May that Tesla extended the shutdown of its Shanghai plant for three days to May 9—the factory was supposed to be reopened on May 6 after China's five-day Labor Day break.
The EV manufacturer stated afterwards that the Shanghai plant was making using of the Labor Day holiday to conduct production-line adjustment and maintenance works, and was executing the normal production adjustments.
The extended suspension didn't disturb the pace of the long-range version's delivery as the first vehicles were scheduled to be handed over in June.
The production rate of Tesla's Model 3 sedans at its Shanghai Gigafactory will top 4,000 units per week by as early as June, and the China-made Model Y is expected to be mass produced from the first quarter of 2020, according to Tao Lin, vice president of Tesla China.
The latest Chinese policy shows that the consumers who buy the NEVs priced at or above 300,000 yuan ($42,226) after July 22 will no longer enjoy subsidies. The homegrown Model 3 Long-range RWD, which is at present priced at 344,050 yuan ($48,426) after subsidy, will be excluded from the incentive.
However, the automaker stated the price after three-month grace period will remain unchanged, digging into its pockets for offsetting the price gap rather than transferring the burden to consumers.
