Tesla’s First “Made In China” Cars Delivered

Credit: Yilei Sun/Reuters

The first Tesla cars manufactured in China have been delivered to their customers.

Fifteen Model 3 sedans were handed off at the Tesla “Gigafactory” in Shanghai on Monday. Tesla has been on a mission to take the biggest piece of the pie in the world’s largest car market. The success of the company in China also offers a remarkable contrast to the companies that had to move their production elsewhere amid the brutal trade war between China and the US. Other large American brands, such as Apple and Dell, have already started moving their Chinese operations to nearby Asian countries.

The first 15 Chinese Tesla deliveries were completed as 15 employees at the Gigafactory received their orders. The completion of the orders came remarkably fast. Tesla’s operations in China began rather recently, and construction on the Gigafactory began just over one year ago. The company has since been working fast to get a head start on deliveries before the Lunar New Year, which starts on January 25th. The next step will be the scaling of deliveries going into the new year.

The Tesla Model 3 starts at $50,000. The car is competing against a fast-growing Chinese electric car industry, pitching Tesla against China’s NIO and Xpeng Motors. Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also active in China. Tesla has also been expanding around the world. As the company holds strong in China, it also has plans to make a new large factory near Berlin.

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