Tesla's Gigafactory 3 in China is believed to have already churned out hundreds of electric vehicles, and the first deliveries have been made in Shanghai. A total of 15 Model 3s, all assembled in China, rolled out this week and received by Tesla Chinese employees.
The initial rollout is expected to be followed by high volume deliveries in the coming days as Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated that getting the Gigafactory 3 inventory moving is a top priority of the company.
Pending approval from the Chinese government, Tesla said Model 3s in the hundreds had been deployed to dealerships across the country. Once the necessary documents have been obtained, Electrek said the floodgates of Tesla EVs will swing open, possibly in the next few days.
"More deliveries are also expected in Shanghai as Model 3 cars were overflowing in the Gigafactory 3 parking lot as of the latest drone video posted last week," the report said.
The first 15 China-made Model 3s were reserved by Tesla workers in the country, and the company opted to make the release a special occasion, which was marked by two employees getting engaged during the event in Shanghai.
The electric sedans carried a tag price of $51,000, which is $12,000 cheaper than the US-made version. It should be noted though that the American build is for the long-range variant as the standard model is priced at no more than $40,000, according to WCCFTech.
The lower price was due to the waiving off of the 15 percent tariff that Beijing slaps on all imported vehicles shipped from the United States.
Tesla has already announced that EVs assembled in China will make use of locally sourced components such as battery packs that would lead to further sticker price reductions. The company has estimated that by next year, Tesla dealership will sell the Model 3, for instance, 20 percent cheaper.
It can be assumed that the price cuts will be applied after the current inventory at Gigafactory 3 has all cleared up. The facility is now considered as the U.S. company's second vehicle-producing factory and the first in Asia.
In preparation for the full rollout in 2020, Tesla said it would ramp up the production of EVs in Gigafactory 3, which at present builds an average of 1,000 units per week. The company said an estimated 250,000 units would be manufactured by the end of 2020, and that likely will be the annual target production going forward.
In support of the increased production and the expected spike in ownership, Tesla plans to build more charging stations and service centers around China, likely doubling the present numbers. Also, the company will increase its after-sales workforce to 1,500 from the current level of 600.
