Pre-orders for Tesla's Made-in-China Model Y Are Officially Open

Back in April, two new versions of the Tesla Model 3 were added to the electric car manufacturer's online design studio in China. These variants include the long-awaited Performance and Long-Range versions of the China-made Model 3, which are slated to be manufactured at Tesla's new Shanghai Gigafactory.

Now, following up it's mass-market offering, the electric vehicle pioneer has officially added its Model Y crossover to its online configurator in China. Pre-orders for the Model Y crossover are now live and the deliveries of the highly anticipated crossover are expected to begin sometime next year.

Tesla has confirmed that production of Model Y in China will start in 2021.

The introduction of Model Y in China is great news for Tesla, as the country happens to be the world's largest EV market and the popularity of crossovers and compact SUVs is at an all-time high. The Model Y is expected to be equal to or more popular than the rest of Tesla's lineup in the country.

Like it did in North America with the launch of the Model 3, Tesla will initially offer only two variants of Model Y in China. These include the Long Range AWD version and the top of the line Performance variant.

Tesla has not offered any details about the delivery dates of the first made in China Model Y, but we expect units to ship out soon after they are built.

The Chinese versions of the Model Y are more expensive than the ones built at Tesla's factory in Fremont, California.

Prices for the China-made Long Range AWD Model Y start at RMB 488,000 (US$68,900), which is around $15,500 more expensive than those built in the United States.

It's the same story with the Performance Version of the Model Y, which costs RMB 535,000 (US$75,000). This price tag makes it about $14,000 more than the equivalent Model Y variant in America.

So far, Tesla has not given any indications that it plans on exporting U.S.-made Model Ys to China. The first Model 3s sold in China were manufactured out of the company's Fremont, California factory. However, the Model Y variants advertised on Tesla's China website are EVs that will most likely be built at the company's factory in Shanghai, which is located in the Lingang Industrial Zone.

Chinese media reports claim that Tesla is making great progress with the facility and has even managed to complete the factory shell for Model Y production after suspending its operations earlier this year due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

The China-built Long Range AWD Model Y can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.1 seconds and offers around (480 km) 298 miles of WLTP range.  The Performance variant takes only 3.7 seconds to reach 60 mph, but it's advertised with the same 480 km range.