New batch of 867 new Tesla Model S and Model X imported to China

Six imported units of the new Tesla Model S and Model X arrived at Yangshan Port in Shanghai on February 28.

Tesla is sending more of the new Model S and Model X to China, as deliveries of the two more expensive models here get closer.

The latest shipment of 867 new Tesla Model S and Model X electric vehicles (EVs) arrived in Tianjin recently, according to a Weibo post by the Tianjin Port Group yesterday.

The vehicles came from San Francisco and arrived at the Tianjin Global Ro-Ro terminal on the ro-ro vessel Asia Beauty, according to the Weibo post.

The Weibo said these are the first imports of the new Tesla Model S and Model X into China, but it's worth noting that several of these Tesla models were already imported into China late last month.

On February 28, six imported Tesla pure electric vehicles, drove out of the containers at the Nangang terminal in Shanghai Yangshan Port to be inspected on site by customs officers, according to a previous report by Shanghai Securities News.

This is the first batch of the new Tesla Model S Plaid vehicles imported into China by sea since they were launched, according to the report by Shanghai Securities News.

Tesla unveiled the Model S Plaid in the US in September 2020 with three motors that can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 1.99 seconds. The company's CEO Elon Musk called it the fastest production car ever built.

In early June 2021, Tesla began deliveries of the model in the US and eliminated the more capable Plaid + model.

Musk said in late 2021 that the Model S Plaid could come to China around March 2022. However, that didn't become a reality.

On January 6, Tesla announced the prices of the new Model S and Model X in China, which are not produced locally, while significantly lowering the prices of the Model 3 and Model Y produced in China.

The Model S is available in China in two versions, a regular version with dual motors and all-wheel drive, and a Plaid version with tri motors and all-wheel drive, starting at RMB 789,900 ($114,620) and RMB 1,009,900 respectively.

The Model X is also available in China in two versions, the regular version with two-motor all-wheel drive and the Plaid version with tri-motor all-wheel drive, starting at RMB 879,900 and RMB 1,039,900, respectively.

Currently, the official website of Tesla China shows the expected delivery date for all versions of Model S and Model X in China in the second quarter.

Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 and Model Y. It sold 74,402 China-made vehicles in February, including 40,479 vehicles exported and 33,923 vehicles delivered in China, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Tesla's deliveries in China in February included 25,526 Model Ys and 8,397 Model 3s, according to the CPCA.

($1 = RMB 6.8915)