China-made Tesla Model 3 price could undercut Hyundai Kona Electric

The Driven

News that the Tesla Model 3 may come from China in the future has Australian electric vehicle enthusiasts speculating what this could mean for price.

It’s well known that electric cars are more expensive than combustion engine equivalents, and while the Tesla Model 3 is touted as a “mass-market” vehicle in the US, in Australia its current $73,900 sticker price before on-road costs and without add-ons, puts it into the realm of “executive” vehicles.

For premium variants plus add-ons it does not take long for the sticker price to rise to levels beyond the luxury car tax threshold, and so to “on-road” prices of well above $110,000.

As reported by The Driven on Monday, sources told Bloomberg that Tesla is planning to ship electric cars made at its Shanghai Gigafactory to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore as well as Europe, contrary to statements that it would only serve the “greater China” region.

Given Tesla’s endeavours to lower production costs in China by sourcing parts locally, it’s worth diving into what this might mean for the Tesla Model 3 price in Australia, and – eventually – possibly also the Model Y.

So how much would the Tesla Model 3 cost if it was made in and shipped from China?

Using figures based on a previous Tesla price estimator and industry knowledge on shipping costs and other fees, the new potential price is in – the China-made Tesla Model 3 base price could be as low as $57,000 in Australia.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

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