Tesla Begins Sales of Cheaper Model 3 Car Variant in China

US electric vehicle maker Tesla said it will start taking orders in China on Friday for a lower-priced version of its Model 3 car, as it seeks to accelerate China sales hit by trade friction between Washington and Beijing.

The California-based firm said in a statement that Chinese customers will be allowed to place orders for a long range, rear-wheel-drive Model 3 variant whose price will start at CNY 433,000 ($64,300.56).

Previously, the starting price for a Model 3 in China was CNY 499,000, for an all-wheel-drive long range version. Tesla said earlier this year that it plans to start delivering Model 3 cars to customers in China in March.

Tesla currently imports all the cars it sells in China but is in the process of building a factory in Shanghai that will manufacture Model 3 cars in the initial phase.

The company said in October that its China sales have been hammered after Beijing raised tariffs on imports of US autos to 40 percent in July. China has since temporarily suspended the additional 25 percent tariff, reducing it to the 15 percent level.

Tesla has adjusted prices of its US-made cars in China to keep its cars affordable in the country, a move also aimed at helping it fend off competition from a swathe of domestic electric vehicle startups such as Nio, Byton and XPeng Motors.

Tesla has said that it wants to start production at its Shanghai plant in the second half this year and is aiming to build 3,000 Model 3 vehicles per week.

© Thomson Reuters 2019