According to a government filing made today in Shanghai, Tesla intends to produce two models at its Chinese Gigafactory in the factory’s first phase — Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3.
According to the same filing, the production capacity is expected to be 250,000 vehicles a year for this phase.
We at CleanTechnica assume that this initial plan and capacity will grow as quickly as possible to match growing demand for Tesla’s vehicles in China and the surrounding region. There is also rumor that the model lineup will grow over time to include Model S and Model X production, but that has not been confirmed by Tesla or any official filings. We have heard no rumors of Semi production at the Shanghai Gigafactory
The filing comes from an environmental assessment firm that is currently conducting a mandatory feasibility study.
It was just one week ago that Tesla sealed the deal for the location of Gigafactory 3, so the company does seem to be moving fast to break ground. Two weeks ago we reported that Tesla was hiring for many construction-related jobs in the area and three weeks ago we reported on rumors that Tesla was speeding up the factory construction due to Trump-instigated trade tariffs.
In early September, which now seems like ages ago, we reported, “Tesla has increased the registered capital for its new Shanghai Gigafactory from 100 million yuan ($14.6 million USD) to 4.67 billion yuan ($681 million USD) to support new scope for the factory, including core automotive manufacturing operations and battery managements systems at the new factory.” That followed comments from Tesla CEO Elon Musk a month earlier that Tesla would likely fund Gigafactory 3 with bank loans from local Chinese banks. As they say, when in China, pay and borrow from the Chinese.
Related: Can Tesla Use EU Loophole To Export To China?
This article was updated after publishing to include additional context and background information.
Tesla Model X photo by Kyle Field
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era — Podcast:
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
