While the latest change appears to mean little change in wait times for Tesla models in China, the move is worth watching.
(Vehicle information displayed on Tesla's China website on December 2.)
Tesla is offering Chinese consumers a soft promise with a subtle change in the expected delivery dates for its China-made models.
The expected delivery dates for the full range of Model 3 and Model Y models in China changed today to "December 2022," according to the latest information on Tesla's China website.
Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 and Model Y. The company currently offers two versions of the Model 3 and three versions of the Model Y in China.
Prior to today's change, all of these models showed expected delivery dates of 1-5 weeks.
While the latest change appears to mean little change in wait times for Tesla models in China, the move is worth watching.
Of all the China-made Tesla models, the entry-level versions of the Model 3 and Model Y are both priced below RMB 300,000 before subsidies to take advantage of the subsidies offered by China for new energy vehicle (NEV) purchases that are set to expire at the end of this month.
If the expected delivery dates for the models shown on Tesla's website had been 1-5 weeks, potential consumers would have been concerned that their deliveries would have stretched into next year, which would have resulted in them ultimately not receiving the subsidies.
Showing the expected delivery dates as December amounts to a soft promise to local consumers that they will continue to receive this year's purchase subsidy if they place their order now.
As the subsidy expiration gets closer, the information displayed for Tesla models including the waiting times as well as the prices are noteworthy.
On October 24, Tesla lowered the prices of the full range of Model 3 and Model Y models in China, bringing the price of the entry-level Model Y down to within RMB 300,000 so that it can enjoy the purchase subsidy.
On November 8, Tesla announced that consumers who purchase a Model 3 and Model Y that have already been produced by December 31 and buy car insurance from Tesla's insurance partners will receive a discount on the final payment.
For those who purchase these vehicles, the discount is RMB 8,000 if they take delivery between November 8 and November 30, and RMB 4,000 if they take delivery between December 1 and December 31.
Earlier today, The Paper reported that Tesla has also started offering benefits in China that incentivize owners of internal combustion vehicles to trade in their cars.
Consumers who order by December 31 and complete a trade-in agreement before delivery will receive a free 90-day trial of Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) software, according to the report.
Tesla opened the EAP feature option in China on February 5, 2021, with the upgrade costing 32,000 yuan ($5,000), half the price of FSD.
EAP adds several features over Basic Autopilot (BAP), including automatic assisted navigation driving, automatic assisted lane changing, automatic parking, and summoning.
