To kick off this week, Tesla cut the prices of its Model 3 and Model Y in China, allowing eligible vehicles to qualify for government subsidies.
The company also offered a free paint colour for the Model Y RWD, with Midnight Silver Metallic becoming a free upgrade when buying a car on Tesla’s website. This, coupled with the price drop for the entry Model Y to below 300,000 yuan, meant the car qualified for China’s New Energy Vehicle subsidy, which will come to a close at the end of 2022.
But now, it appears the freebie has come to an end. Tesla announced on its Weibo account on Thursday morning local time in China that the free Midnight Silver Metallic paint option for Model Y RWD, is no longer offered as standard. It may be possible that cars made with this silver paint color may not deliver in time before the end of 2022, to qualify for the EV subsidies.
“Thank you for all your enthusiasm,” said Tesla China. “The Model Y rear-wheel drive version is no longer provided with live silver paint as standard,” said the company, according to Google Translate.
As of writing, the Tesla China website has already been updated to reflect the removal of the free paint option for Midnight Silver Metallic. It now costs 8000 yuan ($1,116 USD) for the paint upgrade for Model Y RWD. The standard free paint colour is black.
The lowered Model 3 and Model Y pricing in China can be seen below:
For now, new paint colours Midnight Cherry Red and Quicksilver for Model Y are only available at Giga Berlin.
Tesla also launched a referral program in China too at the same time, offering customers rewards points when referring friends and family to buy Tesla vehicles. These points can then be redeemed for Tesla merchandise and more.
