Tesla registers refresh and Performance Model 3 wheels, new headlights with Chinese government

Tesla has only been producing the Standard Range Plus (SR+) Model 3 at Giga Shanghai since the factory opened at the beginning of the year, with the Long Range RWD variant joining the lineup several months later.

The online Design Studio gives customers in China the option to place an order for a Performance Model 3. According to the website, the first deliveries of those cars isn’t expected until the first quarter of 2021.

The automaker has also so far limited production of the 2021 refresh Model 3 featuring the factory black trim, heat pump, and more, to its Fremont factory in California.

That all appears to be changing very soon based on new registrations with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

In one of the filings Tesla has registered the updated 18″ Aero and 19″ Sport wheels that are part of the 2021 refresh with MIIT.

Separately, Tesla also registered the Zero-G Performance Model 3 wheels, as well as the new headlights that have already appeared in Europe. These filings indicate Tesla will soon begin production of the Performance Model 3 for the domestic Chinese market.

2021 is shaping up to be a busy year for Giga Shanghai. With Model 3 production continuing to ramp up, the addition of the Performance variant to the lineup should provide another boost to sales next year. The factory also recently began exporting Model 3’s to Europe, this first units of which began deliveries last week in Germany.

Then of course there is Model Y production to consider as well. There have been several recent sightings of the made-in-China Model Y testing on the streets of Shanghai, indicating production should also begin soon.

All of this has added up to estimates that Giga Shanghai is targeting to manufacture 550,000 vehicles in 2021. The Model 3 is expected to make up 300,000 of those unites, with the remaining 250,000 being the Model Y.

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