Tesla Gigafactory 3 ramps up Model 3 production as sales are imminent

Tesla appears to have ramped up Model 3 production at Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai, and official sales are expected to be imminent as Tesla started shipping out some Model 3 vehicles.

In October, Tesla confirmed that it has produced full vehicles at Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai as part of its trial production.

A few weeks later, the automaker obtained its manufacturing license for the new factory in China, but it was still awaiting official sales approval of the made-in-China version of the Model 3.

Last week, we reported that the made-in-China Model 3 was added to the government’s list of approved vehicles for new energy vehicle subsidies.

Some sources said that it meant the government also gave Tesla sale approval, but it’s still not confirmed.

However, it looks like it’s imminent since Tesla started shipping out Model 3 vehicles from Gigfactory 3 — presumably to Tesla’s Chinese delivery centers:

Tesla Owner in Shanghai visits Shanghai Gigafactory 3 today to find out that they are transporting Made in China Model 3 to Delivery center across China 🇨🇳. Posted on 小特APP @xiaoteshushu #Tesa #TeslaChina #gigafactory #GF3 #China #特斯拉 #中国 $TSLA pic.twitter.com/FneGqqCHV7

— Jay in Shanghai 电动 Jay (@JayinShanghai) December 7, 2019

Earlier this month, we reported that Tesla Gigafactory 3 started producing a lot of Model 3 vehicles based on sightings at the factory

At the time, about 200 Model 3 vehicles were spotted parked at the factory, and a steady stream of cars were spotted coming out of the plant.

Now, just a few days later, it looks like there are closer to 400 Model 3 vehicles in the parking lot:

Those vehicles have appeared less than a year after Tesla has broken ground at the Gigafactory 3 site.

Here’s the full drone video by Jason Yang:

In China, the Model 3 Standard Range Plus with Autopilot starts at ¥355,800 (about $50,000).

Tesla has been taking pre-orders for a while now, and the automaker hasn’t disclosed the number of orders it has received.

The company said that it aims to ramp up production to 3,000 Model 3 vehicles per week at the factory by early next year.

Electrek’s Take

This is impressive.

There was nothing on that land less than a year ago, and now Tesla is producing vehicles there.

As far as the production rate, it’s hard to determine, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Tesla would currently be able to produce a few hundred Model 3 vehicles at Gigafactory 3.

Of course, there are still valid questions about which parts of the vehicle are produced in China, but Tesla confirmed body production at the factory, which is impressive on its own.