Tesla has resumed deliveries of its Model S and Model X premium EVs in China. The all-electric car manufacturer announced this on Twitter by releasing a new video highlighting this milestone.
2023 Model S & Model X Deliveries Begin in Chinaās Mainland!š pic.twitter.com/9Ei2jiOzr2
— Tesla Asia (@Tesla_Asia) March 27, 2023
The video shows a vehicle carrier RORO (Roll On Roll Off) ship with new Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles. One shot even highlights the Plaid badge which signifies the tri-motor vehicles that will be delivered to Chinese customers.
The Model S and Model X vehicles then come off the docked ship via a ramp and a drone shot is seen across hundreds of these vehicles parked in preparation for deliveries to customers.
This is a significant milestone for the brand after it originally began mainland China deliveries of Tesla Model S vehicles back in 2014.
It begins https://t.co/Qpn503ibaV
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) March 28, 2023
In the last couple of years, Chinese order holders of the refreshed Tesla Model S and Model X have been patiently waiting as Tesla fulfilled demand in the US.Ā
On top of that, the company was busy opening up various factories to free up Teslaās original Fremont factory where these vehicles were being built.
Late last year, the first signs of export vehicles emerged including those in China itself when Tesla showcased the Model S and Model X vehicles a the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in November. This was also announced via a video.
NEWS: @Tesla China has announced that the Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid will make its official debut in Asia at the 5th China International Import Expo on November 5th.
Tesla will be showcasing the Optimus Bot as well. @Tesla_Asia. pic.twitter.com/BWF1hRFt0s
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) October 31, 2022
Not long after that, the first of these vehicles were spotted in Europe.
Given China is a left-hand-drive market like the US and many parts of Europe, Tesla seems to be aiming to fulfil these markets before exploring deliveries for right-hand-drive markets like ours here in Australia.
Recently, Australians who have ordered the Tesla Model S are growing frustrated with wait times. Many have been waiting for over 18 months which is longer than deliveries of some of the most popular vehicles during Covid.
The wait time times on Teslaās premium vehicles is continuing to remain with deliveries unlikely to Australia in the coming months.Ā
In China, the deliveries commenced nearly five months after the initial announcement with prices of the Model S starting at $A171,000 for the Long Range variant. The Plaid gets bumped closer to $A240,000.
Meanwhile, in Australia, order holders are yet to receive an update on delivery timelines.Ā
While local customers wait, Tesla is continuously improving these flagship vehicles. This month Tesla announced new various upgrades to the interior and exterior of these vehicles including a new paint colour.Ā
On top of that, the Autopilot hardware is improving with the newest flagship vehicles containing the latest camera and sensor technologies.
The vehicles themselves feature 100 kWh battery packs. The high-performance Plaid version also features the carbon-sleeve tri-motor propulsion system that will get the Mosel S from 0-100 km/h in just 2.1 seconds.Ā
In comparison, the current fastest accelerating Tesla model that Australian customers can buy is the Tesla Model 3 Performance which sprints to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds.
Itās good to see Tesla finally debuting these models outside of the US. This would allow many more customers to experience the ground-breaking engineering thatās gone into making these EVs come to life.
Here in Australia though, the wait continues and by many accounts, the deliveries are expected to be closer to the end of 2023 or even possibly early next year.
RizĀ is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.