Photo: Wu Wa
Tesla executive Grace Tao said in a Monday interview with Chinese media outlet Auto Report that prospective EV buyers in China have limited available options (via CnEVPost).
While Tesla currently produces the Model 3 and Model Y at its Shanghai Gigafactory and is about to start selling Model S and Model X vehicles in China as well, Tao said that the lineup is not enough to meet consumer needs — adding that Tesla hardly has a rivaling company to share that demand with.
“We also wish to see a variety of electric vehicle models in the market to meet everyone’s needs,” Tao said.
Tesla Model Y Delivery Times Have Increased in China After Price Cuts https://t.co/NipREEDIuv
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) January 9, 2023
Tao also noted that Tesla obtains about 95 percent of its supplied parts from local suppliers in China, pointing to the automaker’s strong supply chain management as a major contributor to its success in the market.
Last week, Tesla once again slashed Model 3 and Model Y pricing in China. “I personally feel that the price adjustment reflects, in a sense, our better planning for the supply chain,” Tao added. “We will make these adjustments in line with our projections of the approximate level of vehicle costs”
While it’s still a unique model to consumers in China, Tao also highlighted the company’s non-traditional model of pricing transparency, which she says is fairer to the buyer. With other automakers, buyers often get different quotes from different dealerships.
“So you actually don’t know if your price is the lowest or not at all, and you don’t know what price other people are buying at. Is that fair for the consumer?”
