Tesla's lower-priced model will be a smaller version of the Model Y, and the EV maker is building a capacity plan for it of up to 4 million units a year, a new report said.
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Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is planning up to several million units of annual capacity for a lower-priced model, according to a new report.
The model will be a smaller version of the Model Y, for which Tesla is building an annual capacity plan of up to 4 million units, Chinese media outlet 36kr said in a report today, citing sources.
This is an early capacity strategy, and Tesla is signaling to the industry chain that the 4 million units of capacity will be spread across its factories located around the world, according to the report.
Tesla's North American plants will take on 2 million units of capacity, with the Monterrey, Mexico, plant providing the bulk of the capacity. Its factories in Berlin, Germany, and Shanghai will each take on 1 million units, the report said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the company's 2020 Battery Day that self-driving electric vehicles (EVs) priced at $25,000 will be possible by 2023.
Although rumors of the lower-priced model have popped up from time to time over the past few years, it has never become a reality.
For an EV with a range of no less than 400 kilometers and a mainstream smart driving suite, material costs are extremely difficult to get below RMB 150,000 ($25,000), the 36kr report said, citing an engineer from a local car company.
Depending on the factory's construction schedule, mass production of Tesla's $25,000 model may not come soon, at least more than a year away, the report said, citing a source.
If Tesla can bring the price of its EVs down to slightly more than RMB 100,000, not only will it gain significant market share for itself, but it will also be a huge push for the maturation of the industry chain, an industry source said, adding that this is when the smart EV industry will see drastic changes.
Tesla has ambitious sales plans, and Musk said last year that the EV maker could open 10 to 12 new factories to increase production and eventually reach its goal of selling 20 million EVs a year by 2030.
Tesla delivered 422,875 units worldwide in the first quarter, up 36.39 percent from 310,048 units in the same period last year and up 4.34 percent from 405,278 units delivered in the fourth quarter, according to its announcement on April 2.
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y delivered 412,180 units worldwide in the quarter, and Model S and Model X were 10,695 units.
In China, Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 and Model Y. It is the largest Tesla factory in the world, with an annual capacity of about 1.1 million units per year.
Tesla does not reveal its deliveries in China, although the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) publishes these numbers every month.
Tesla's deliveries in China in January and February were 26,843 and 33,923, respectively, and its Shanghai plant exported 39,208 and 40,479 units in the two months, according to the CPCA. March figures are expected to be available in the next few days.
