Something interesting is happening in China, where Tesla has recently noticeably reduced the estimated delivery time for the entry-level Made-in-China (MIC) Model Y.
According to the manufacturer’s website, a Tesla Model Y RWD version ordered now will be delivered in 1-4 weeks, which is half of the previous 4-8 weeks.
The other two versions of the Model Y – Long Range AWD and Performance – still require a significantly longer waiting time of respectively 16-20 weeks and 12-16 weeks.
At the same time, the MIC Tesla Model 3 in China (both versions: RWD and Performance) have an estimated delivery time of 12-16 weeks.
2022 MIC Tesla Model 3 Performance
2022 MIC Tesla Model Y Performance
It’s very interesting that the Tesla Model Y RWD has a 3-4 times shorter estimated delivery time, especially since here in the US, usually Tesla offered faster delivery for the the top (higher-margin) versions.
We guess that it might have something to do with the recently completed upgrade of the Tesla Giga Shanghai plant, which maybe is now able to produce a lot of Model Y RWD or at least is set to focus on this particular version over other types.
The Tesla Model Y is one of the few most popular electric car models in China with more than 140,000 units sold during the first seven months. The entry-level version starts at 316,900 CNY ($45,927), has a CLTC driving range of 545 km (339 miles) and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.9 seconds.
The plant is currently running at a very high rate, potentially at near-record monthly level of 77,000 in August.
According to the Chinese media (via CnEVPost), Tesla’s manufacturing capacity in China might reach 1.1-1.2 million annually (or up to 100,000 per month) thanks to the recent plant upgrade. If so, then maybe we will see shorter delivery times of other Model 3/Model Y versions as well.
