Tesla said on Friday that the Model 3 cars produced in China will be delivered to employees starting on December 30, according to Bloomberg.
The first deliveries are 15 Model 3 sedans.
Tesla shares edge up 1 percent in pre-market trading.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has predicted Tesla will make at least 1,000 cars a week in Shanghai by the end of the year — a volume the company’s original factory in California spent months trying to hit — and has said a weekly rate of 3,000 is a target at some point.
Earlier today, the China-built Model 3 was included on a list of vehicles qualifying for an exemption from a 10% purchase tax in the country. Tesla said in October the locally built Model 3 will be priced from about $50,000. Further helping Tesla, the China-built model this month qualified for a government subsidy of as much as about 25,000 yuan ($3,600) per vehicle.
The company may lower the price of the locally assembled sedans by 20% or more next year as it starts using more local components and reduces costs, people familiar with the matter have said.
