Tesla China has come out publicly to deny a rumour that Giga Shanghai was going to start trial production of the refresh Model 3, known internally as Project Highland, next month.
Earlier this week it was rumoured that Giga Shanghai was starting trial production of the new Model 3 on June 1. It was also said that employees were being told they would not be allowed to enter the production area with their mobile devices, in an apparent attempt to prevent any further leaks of the updated design.
Apparently the rumour was strong enough for Tesla China to reach out to Yicai Global, telling the publication that it is not true. “Tesla China told Yicai Global today that rumors it will mass produce the updated Model 3 in Shanghai from June 1 are not true,” the report says.
It is interesting to note the wording used by Tesla China, saying that mass production won’t begin on June 1, when the rumour was about trial production, but that may have been lost in translation. It is also worth noting that Tesla China has denied rumours in the past, only for them to come true weeks or months later. It could be that Tesla is starting trial production of the refresh Model 3 next month, but is attempting to squash the rumour in an effort to maintain Model 3 sales in the country, and abroad.
Based on what we have heard so far series production is supposed to start sometime in Q3, so timeline of starting trial production makes sense as it would give the automaker a few months to work out the kinksand ensure everything is running smoothly along the production line.
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