The long range rear-wheel drive variant will cost around $52,000 after incentives, while deliveries are expected to commence in June.

U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla Inc., has reported revealed plans to develop its long-range rear-wheel drive (RWD) version of the Model 3 at its Shanghai plant, a move that comes a month after the automaker received an approval from the Government of China.

Sources claim this development to be significant, as Tesla had discontinued the production of the long-range RWD variant of the Model 3 in the U.S. and currently offers only a dual-motor all-wheel drive versions. It also contradicts the company’s prior plans of selling a more basic variant of the Model 3 in China.

Reportedly, Tesla updated its China website showing the standard range plus versions of the Model 3 along with the long range RWD and performance variants. Credible reports claim that the long range RWD version will cost around 366,550 yuan (about $52,000) after incentives. Meanwhile, deliveries are expected to start in June.

As for the standard-range plus Model, it will cost customers around 323,800 yuan (around $46,000) before local subsidies, and offer around 276 miles of range on a single charge. Tesla’s China website mentions that the long-range RWD variant may offer a range of 415-mile range.

Notably, these ranges are estimated based on NEDC (New European Driving Cycle), a forgiving standard that was replaced in Europe many years ago with the WLTP. With this, it is much likely that the real-word range could be lower than claimed.

For the record, in 2019, Tesla had commenced the production of a standard-range-plus rear-wheel-drive version of the Model 3 at its Shanghai plant. The company started its first deliveries in January. However, the approval bagged by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology gave Tesla the permission to add other variant to its Chinese portfolio.

Reliable sources estimate that Tesla is also in talks to manufacture the Model Y electric vehicle at its factory in China.

Source Credit: https://www.inventiva.co.in/trends/surbhi/tesla-resurrects-long-range-rwd-model-3-for-the-chinese-market/