As China gears up for Model 3 deliveries to begin in the country, the interest and anticipation for the electric car among reservation holders and potential buyers appear to be reaching a fever pitch. If reports from Chinese social media are any indication, it seems that waves of Model 3 orders are already hitting the country’s stores.
For the Model 3 to be successful in China, the electric car must be good enough to attract a lot of attention and demand from the car-buying public. Recent reports from Chinese social media users suggest that consumers are indeed interested in the Model 3. During the past few days alone, social media posts from the region noted that some Tesla stores ended up having system issues due to the influx of orders they are receiving for the Model 3.
Tesla Model 3 sales went insane the last few days in different cities of China.
Some locations reported stores’ systems were down & wireless CC machines went out of battery due to too many orders. At least 20 orders per store in a day(weekdays)$TSLA #Tesla #Model3 #TeslaChina pic.twitter.com/srD17N96ze
— Vincent (@vincent13031925) February 19, 2019
Other posts from the area were equally optimistic. A Weibo user who took the electric car for a test drive on February 13, for one, observed that her sales representative’s mobile phone was receiving notifications for Model 3 orders every 6-10 minutes. “During the chat with the Tesla specialist, I observed that his cellphone popped three times with new Model 3 orders in about 20-30 mins. In other words, about 6-10 minutes, there is a Model 3 sold in that location,” 老徐是我呀, the Weibo user, wrote.
Last week, reports emerged stating that the Glovis Symphony, a cargo ship loaded with China-bound Model 3, has arrived at the Tianjin Port. Other ships loaded with the sedan, such as the solar-hybrid car carrier, Emerald Ace, are expected to arrive in China within the next weeks as well, as noted in a report from local news outlet CCTV. With these factors in mind, it appears that Model 3 deliveries in China would likely begin very soon.
Photos taken today at Tianjin Free Trade Zone near Xingang Port, Tianjin, China. Since arriving on Monday this is the very first photos of @Tesla Model 3 Shipment to China. Photo Credit to 李大锤同学微博 via @Weibo#Tesla #TeslaChina #China #Model3 #GlovisSymphony #特斯拉 $TSLA pic.twitter.com/Z0pFUIZbwo
— JayinShanghai (@ShanghaiJayin) February 15, 2019
It remains to be seen if the Model 3 would be as big of a success in China as it was in the United States, where its disruption was so notable that it became the country’s best-selling luxury vehicle in 2018. Nevertheless, the reception that the car has received from Chinese auto media and social media users appears to be mostly positive so far. In a review of the Model 3 Performance by Chinese auto group Know the Car, for one, it was concluded that the electric car could outperform rival premium, high-performance sedans such as the BMW M3 and the Mercedes-AMG C63 at the racetrack.
Tesla has been pushing some offers to make the Model 3 an attractive purchase for Chinese buyers. Earlier this month, for example, Tesla opted to include Enhanced Autopilot, an add-on that previously cost 46,300 yuan (around $6,800), as standard for all Model 3 purchases in the country.
