Tesla Starts Delivering Cars Made In China

The interior of the Tesla car. (Photo: Tesla)

JAKARTA - American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc on Monday began shipping Model 3 vehicles made at its factory in Shanghai. This was marked by a ceremony, where 15 employees received the car they had purchased.

Quoting Reuters, Monday, December 30, the ceremony indicated the factory had started delivering cars to customers, or just 357 days after construction began, setting a new record for global carmakers in China.

The Chinese-made cars were priced at 355,800 yuan or the equivalent of 50,000 US dollars before subsidies. Tesla wants to start shipping before Chinese New Year starts on January 25.

The Shanghai plant is part of the Silicon Valley native carmaker's plan to increase its presence in the world's largest auto market and minimize the impact of the US-China trade war.

Previously, Tesla imported all the cars it sold in the country. "From now onwards the Chinese-made Model 3 will start driving on China's major roads and lanes," said Tesla Vice President Tao Lin during the delivery ceremony.

Construction of Tesla's first production facility outside the United States began in January 2019. Meanwhile, the initial production process began in October, with a focus on assembling the Tesla Model 3. Later, this factory is also said to be involved in producing another variant, the Tesla Model Y.