Tesla has started delivering Model 3 cars in China.
Reports says the start of deliveries is ahead of schedule as the company seeks to shore up China sales that have been hit by high import tariffs and weaker demand.
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Tesla said in a statement sent to Reuters that it held a delivery event in Beijing today. It had planned to start deliveries in March.
The first batch of China deliveries will go to customers who placed their orders before the end of 2018, Tesla said.
Reports also say that a car transporter arrived at the port of Shanghai this week with 1,800 Tesla vehicles, of which 1,6oo are Model 3s.
In January, Tesla broke ground on a factory it plans to build in Shanghai. The company has complained that tariffs on US imports mean that it operates at a big cost disadvantage in China.
In a regulatory filing referring to the Shanghai facility plan, Tesla said it believes “that the efficiencies of local production, as well as avoiding certain tariffs on US-manufactured vehicles, will allow us to offer Model 3 at a lower average selling price in the largest market for electric vehicles in the world.”
