After Model 3, Tesla to manufacture Model Y at its new China plant

KUALA LUMPUR: At a launch event in China, the first 10 Tesla Model 3 sedans built outside of the United States at Tesla’s new manufacturing facility in Shanghai were delivered to their owners by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday, 7th January 2020. Musk also launched the Model Y crossover project which hints that Tesla would soon start making Model Y here in China.

Construction of Tesla’s Shanghai plant began back in January and it was up and ready at an unbelievable pace. Production at the factory started in October and Tesla started delivering cars in just 357 days, a record for global automakers in China.

This factory has a production capacity of 150,000 Model 3 sedans a year and Tesla is planning to extend this figure up to 250,000 vehicles per year, including Model Y. Elon Musk danced at the stage and also predicted that "ultimately Tesla Model Y will have more demand than probably all the other cars of Tesla combined".

Present at the event were Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong and other senior government officials. Shanghai Vice Mayor Wu Qing said he hopes to see Tesla extend its cooperation with the city and manufacture more models at its Chinese plant.

It is being said that in October the production of Tesla Model Y, which was unveiled in March 2019, at the brand’s Fremont, Calif., factory was running ahead of schedule and the electric crossover could be launched by summer 2020. The production costs of Model Y and Model 3 sedan are roughly the same but it is the former which is expected to have a much higher demand.

As per Tesla’s Chinese website, Model 3 sedan price here in China is 355,800 yuan ($51,040) or RM 208,906 before subsidies and Model Y price would start somewhere at 444,000 yuan ($63,911) or RM 261,587. The retail price will be announced later.

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