Speculation about some NZ-market versions of the popular Model 3 sedan moving to Shanghai production appears cemented.

INCREASING conjecture by New Zealand Tesla-rati about the make’s plant in China taking over production of the best-selling variants of Model 3 sedans bound for this market seems to be confirmed.

Speculation about this switch occurring has been rife for some time, arising even before the factory near Shanghai began operation last year. 

Now brand supporters here have picked up on changes being made to the company’s online configurator that cement this thought, for Australia as well as NZ.

It’s not all versions, however.

Fans writing on the EV Owners’ NZ Facebook page seem to be in agreement with Australia media reports that suggest the 2021 Standard Range Plus and Long Range will now be made in China.

The flagship Performance model will continue to source from the production facility in Fremont, California, that has provisioned all NZ-market Model 3s until now.

Telsa itself has yet to offer official comment on this. The brand famously axed its publics relations division last year.

An Australian daily website, CarAdvice, says it was made aware of the change through being a Tesla delivery tracking service, VedaPrime.

It and NZ Tesla fans cited the tip-off for the production location switch as coming from a range of minor updates and changes now being provisioned on the configurator.

One particular red herring: The introduction of revised front door trims, which feature new extensions of the dashboard trim inlays, including in white – a feature unique to Shanghai-based Model 3 production.

Both models are also now available with a white interior – an option previously exclusive to the range-topping Model 3 Performance.

The Model 3 Standard Range Plus can also now be optioned with the 19-inch 'Sport' alloy wheels previously exclusive to the Long Range, CarAdvice says.

Chinese production also ushers in an increase in the driving range, to a total of 508km – just three months after it was upgraded from 460km to 490km, as part of a 2021 upgrade.

Tesla followers here have suggested on the EV Owners NZ forum that those figures are not to be considered as absolute gospel, citing that the cars tend to deliver less than these ranges in daily use.

They point out that the ranges are estimated mated by using the NEDC measure, a now outdated driving cycle measure.  NZ no longer identifies NEDC, preferring instead the WLTP guidance that is now used in Europe.

CarAdvice also says a listing in the Australian government's Road Vehicle Certification System – a official database listing all vehicles certified for compliance with Australian Design Rules – also confirms the production switch for the two entry grades.

Chinese-built variants now wearing vehicle identification numbers starting with LRW – the World Manufacturer Identifier assigned to Tesla's Shanghai factory, with the L signifying Chinese production.

It’s understood the intention behind the production switch is to reduce wait times for European and Asia-Pacific-market customers. It could also deliver improvement in assembly quality; last year several automotive magazines compared US and China-built cars and judged the latter to be superior in many aspects, but notably insulation, paint quality and panel fit. US-made Teslas are often lambasted for assembly faults and shortcomings.

The Model 3 was New Zealand’s best-selling fully electric car in 2020.