Electric car giant Tesla said it had cut delivery lead times for its Model 3 and Model Y cars in China in order to increase production at its Shanghai plant.
The waiting time for rear-wheel-drive Model Y sports vehicles is now four to eight weeks, while buyers of Model 3 SUVs and sedans will have to wait 12 to 20 weeks.
Tesla previously said buyers in China would have to wait eight to 24 weeks after ordering the best-selling model.
Tesla confirmed the shortened lead times, first disclosed on the company’s Chinese website, citing increased output at its Shanghai plant as one reason.
Automakers typically ship more cars produced in Shanghai to Chinese customers in the second half of each quarter, which also brings an acceleration in deliveries, the company said.
Tesla has completed a major production line upgrade at its plant in Shanghai, its most productive manufacturing hub, and is ramping up production with a target of making 22,000 Model 3 and Model Y cars combined each week.
Chief Executive Elon Musk said production was a bigger challenge for the company than demand.
The company is struggling to ramp up production at its plants in Berlin and Texas, while production losses during the two-month COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai hurt Tesla’s profit margins in the second quarter.
The company has stopped taking orders for the Cybertruck outside North America, as well as for Model 3 Long-Range vehicles in the United States and Canada, citing large delivery delays.
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