Guests looking at a Model 3 during a ground-breaking ceremony for a Tesla factory in Shanghai on Jan 7, 2019. — AFP
BEIJING/SHANGHAI: US electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc said it will start taking orders in China today for a lower-priced version of its Model 3 car, as it seeks to accelerate China sales hit by trade friction between Washington and Beijing.
The California-based firm said in a statement that Chinese customers will be allowed to place orders for a long range, rear-wheel-drive Model 3 variant whose price will start at 433,000 yuan (RM263,000).
Previously, the starting price for a Model 3 in China was 499,000 yuan (RM303,000), for an all-wheel-drive long range version. Tesla said earlier this year that it plans to start delivering Model 3 cars to customers in China in March.
Tesla, which is building a factory to produce Model 3 vehicles in Shanghai, is looking to minimise the impact of a trade war which has so far forced it adjust prices of its US-made cars in China.
Keeping prices in check will also help Tesla fend off competition from a swathe of domestic electric vehicle startups such as Nio Inc, Byton and XPeng Motors.
