Tesla opened up their first Gigafactory outside of the US in Shanghai, China earlier this year.
The facility currently manufactures the Model 3 for sale exclusively in China, and plans to begin manufacturing the Model Y later this year.
It appears Tesla may soon be exporting the made-in-China Model 3’s to additional markets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
First reported on the Chinese financial site 10jqka.com.cn and also reported by Reuters, sources familiar with the matter claim Tesla will begin manufacturing the electric sedans intended for export in Q4 2020, with the first deliveries happening in early 2021.
Some of the countries cited as being possible recipients of the Giga Shanghai vehicles include Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan, and Hong Kong.
If this report is true, the move to export vehicles from China to additional markets in the region could result in significant savings for Tesla, as these markets have to currently rely on exports from Fremont. It would also reduce expenses at Fremont as they could stop making right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles for these markets.
