The new Tesla Model 3 Performance is expected to go on sale in China in the second quarter, with the price likely to be close to 400,000 yuan, local media said.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) began selling an improved Model 3, or Highland version, in China last October. Only entry-level and long-range versions were available. A Performance version, which currently doesn’t exist, is reportedly not far away.
The new Tesla Model 3 Performance is expected to go on sale in China in the second quarter, and will likely cost close to 400,000 yuan ($55,730), local auto media outlet Donchedi reported today.
According to reports, the new Model 3 Performance, which recently started rolling off the production line at the U.S. factory, will be mass-produced at the Shanghai and Fremont factories at the end of March, and is expected to go on sale in the first half of this year. report.
The performance version differs slightly from the on-sale version in terms of exterior details, with a rear carbon fiber spoiler and “dual motor” badging, according to the report, which cites a previously published owner’s manual. .
The new Model 3 Performance will also feature the same radial pattern at the rear as the Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid, the report said.
It features new style rims and upgrades to the braking system, suspension, larger brake discs and higher performance tires, the report said.
Powertrain information for this new variant is unknown, but the previous Model 3 Performance was equipped with dual motors with a total output of 357 kW and a total torque of 659 Nm.
The old Model 3 Performance could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and had a CLTC range of 675 kilometers.
Prior to the launch of the Highland version of the Model 3, the sedan was offered in two versions in China: the entry-level rear-wheel drive version and the dual-motor all-wheel drive Model 3 Performance.
On September 1, 2023, Tesla announced the improved Model 3 on its Chinese website and began pre-sales.
Official sales of the updated Model 3 began in China on October 19th, and Tesla announced that deliveries began on October 26th.
The new Model 3 continues to be offered in two versions in China, including an entry rear-wheel-drive version and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive long-range version, but the previous performance version is no longer available.
Tesla offered the Model 3 in three trims in 2020: an entry version with single-motor rear-wheel drive, a long-range version with single-motor rear-wheel drive, and a performance version with dual-motor all-wheel drive. .
When the new Model 3 officially went on sale in China on October 19, the starting prices for the two versions were RMB 259,900 and RMB 295,900 respectively.
On November 9th, Tesla increased the starting price of the Model 3 Long Range in China by 1,500 yuan, and on November 14th, it increased the price of the entry version of the Model 3 by 1,500 yuan.
On January 12, Tesla significantly reduced the prices of its sedans, increasing the starting price of the Model 3 entry version from RMB 15,500 to RMB 245,900 and the starting price of Model 3 Long Range from RMB 297,400 to RMB 11,500 to RMB 285,900. I lowered it back down.
Two of the three versions of the Model Y also received price cuts on January 12, with the SUV now starting at RMB 258,900 in China.
(1 dollar = 7.1774 RMB)
Tesla sales in China in December: 15,750 Model 3 and 60,055 Model Y