Tesla’s revamped Model 3 makes real-life China debut at Beijing trade fair
Tesla is showcasing the revamped version of its Model 3 at a services trade fair in Beijing, after unveiling the model on September 1 for pre-sale in China.
(Image from Tesla China Weibo)
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is giving the revamped version of the Model 3 its real-life China debut at a trade fair in Beijing, after the sedan was unveiled on September 1.
The revamped Model 3 made its debut at the China International Fair For Trade in Services in Beijing, Tesla said today on Weibo.
The fair started on September 2 and will run through September 6, with September 2 to September 3 being professional public days and September 4 to September 6 open to all visitors. The event is being held at the China National Convention Center’s Shougang Park, according to the event’s website.
Tesla’s booth at the event is E4-01, and it’s one of the few show appearances by the US electric vehicle (EV) maker in the past few years, as it was absent from this year’s Shanghai auto show in April and the Chengdu auto show in late August.
The revamped Model 3 has a wrap-around cabin with ventilated seats, Tesla’s Weibo said.
The model has front and rear screens that provide an immersive audio-visual experience, Tesla said, adding that the sedan has a wind resistance of 0.22 Cd and a range of up to 713 kilometers.
Tesla did not provide more information but shared nine images of a red Model 3 on display at the event.
Tesla unexpectedly began pre-sales of the revamped Model 3 in China on September 1, marking the model’s debut with the internal codename Highland.
Tesla’s Chinese website has updated its Model 3 page to show off the new sedan with a new exterior and interior design.
The new Model 3 continues to be offered as a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model in the entry version, but the previously available dual-motor performance version has been replaced by a dual-motor long-range version.
Pre-sale prices for the entry rear-wheel-drive Model 3 in China start at RMB 259,900, which is RMB 28,000, or 12 percent, higher than the old model’s starting price of RMB 231,900.
The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive, long-range version of the Model 3 starts at RMB 295,900 for pre-sales. For comparison, the previously available dual-motor, all-wheel-drive performance version of the Model 3 starts at RMB 331,900.
The expected delivery dates for both versions are the fourth quarter, information on Tesla’s website shows.
It’s worth noting that in China, when many EV makers launch new models, they usually start with a pre-sale and offer slightly lower final prices when they go on sale. It’s not clear whether Tesla will adopt this strategy.
Additionally, a new car needs to enter the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s model catalogs before it can officially start selling in China.
Tesla’s revamped Model 3 has yet to complete that regulatory process, which is expected to be done this month if it’s going to materialize for deliveries to begin in the fourth quarter.
BREAKING: Tesla starts pre-sales of revamped Model 3 in China at higher starting price
