announced on Weibo on Saturday that the starting price of the Model Y Performance in China has been raised by RMB 10,000 ($1,550) to RMB 387,900, with those who have previously reserved unaffected.

(Tesla website screenshot on September 11.)

The Securities Times quoted a Tesla China public relations source as saying that the price increase was mainly due to fluctuations in manufacturing costs.

On January 1, Tesla announced the official launch of the China-made Model Y and the new Model 3. The Model Y Performance starts at RMB 369,900, down by RMB 165,100 from the previous price of RMB 535,000.

The Model Y Performance has not been delivered, and Tesla's website previously showed the version was expected to begin deliveries in the third quarter of 2021. After Tesla raised the price today, the website shows deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter.

In May, the price of the Model Y Performance was raised from RMB 369,900 to RMB 377,900, and in August, the model went from pre-sale "pending regulatory approval" status to on-sale status.

The China-made Model Y Standard Range and Long Range versions remain unchanged at RMB 276,000 and RMB 347,900 respectively.

Interestingly, a Chinese Tesla owner said on social media Friday that his Model Y received a push from Tesla about a software package to improve acceleration performance.

The update information shows that the owner can shorten the vehicle's 0-100 km/h acceleration time from 5 seconds to 4.4 seconds by paying RMB 14,100 ($2,190).

The owner did not specify which version of his Model Y is, but this should be the long-range version with dual-motor all-wheel drive, as Information on Tesla's website shows that only that version has a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 5 seconds.

In comparison, the Model Y Performance has a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.7 seconds.

(Tesla website screenshot on September 10.)