The production ramp of the facelifted Tesla Model 3 at Gigafactory Shanghai appears to be in full swing judging by the thousands of vehicles that are populating the site’s export lot.
Tesla’s Chinese plant is currently the only one producing the new Model 3, which launched earlier this month in several markets in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It appears that production is going smoothly at the facility as shown in a video captured by a drone pilot above Tesla China’s export lot.
The drone footage from WuWa (via Teslarati) reveals that Tesla’s platform at Shanghai’s Nankang port features a large number of facelifted Tesla Model 3 sedans. Assuming all the vehicles in this lot are facelifted Model 3s, we’re guesstimating there are more than 3,000 cars in this video.
The drone operator, who has been observing Giga Shanghai since construction began in 2019, said in the video’s description that the factory has increased its production capacity since China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) approved Tesla’s new Model 3.
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Previously, new Model 3 EVs were produced in small batches and dispersed in various warehouses, but in the last few days they have been concentrated in Shanghai’s Nankang port. The progress over last week’s drone video is obvious.
WuWa claims that the first deliveries of the new Model 3 will be to European customers, citing unnamed sources. This may be confirmed by the fact that all of the Model 3s in the lot bear the European Union logo.
Deliveries of the facelifted Tesla Model 3 are expected to begin next month in Europe, according to the company’s local websites in several countries in the region. Deliveries in China may not begin until early next year, though, according to the WuWa‘s sources.
Regardless of which markets get the new Tesla Model 3 first, it’s worth pointing out the exemplary mobilization of the Giga Shanghai production team. The high number of vehicles already produced and awaiting shipment to Europe suggests that the production ramp is going great.
It looks like Tesla has learned its lesson from the initial production ramp of the Model 3 at the Fremont Factory between 2017 and 2018. Famously described by Elon Musk as “production hell,” it was one of the most challenging times in the company’s history.
