Tesla set to ship 7,000 vehicles from Shanghai to Europe, report says

SHANGHAI — Tesla Inc. will begin exporting Model 3 sedans assembled at its Shanghai plant to Europe next week, according to Chinese media. 

Some 7,000 Model 3s are due to leave the Shanghai port Tuesday for Europe, Shanghai Television Station reported this week. 

The EVs are expected to arrive at Belgium’s Zeebrugge port toward the end of November. 

Some of the vehicles will be distributed in Belgium and the rest will be shipped to other European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland, according to Xinhua, a state-run news agency.

By the end of September, the new factory had churned out more than 85,000 Model 3s cumulatively, with weekly output reaching 3,500 to 4,000, according to Xinhua. 

With exports underway, Tesla’s Shanghai plant is expected to boost the value of vehicle and battery exports to $450 million for 2020, the news agency said, citing Shanghai’s vice mayor, Chen Yin. 

Tesla opened the Shanghai plant in January 2019 to build the Model 3. The U.S. EV maker is expanding the factory to build a second product, the Model Y crossover.