Tesla has officially added China-built Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to its inventory in Canada, confirming the automaker has shipped vehicles from Shanghai to the country to handle demand.
Tesla was rumoredly preparing to ship Made-in-Shanghai Model 3 and Model Y units to Canada, according to a report from Reuters. While CEO Elon Musk denied Tesla would ship units from Shanghai to the United States, Canada was not explicitly mentioned last year.
The first ship carrying Model 3 and Model Y Left-Hand-Drive vehicles left a Shanghai Port earlier this month and arrived in Washington State, USA. These cars were then transported to Canada, where they have now evidently ended up in Tesla’s inventory.
First spotted by Drive Tesla, the vehicles are featuring the LRW VIN number, which are assigned to vehicles built at the Chinese factory.
The range offered on the vehicles in Tesla’s Inventory also matches those of the LFP cells that are used in packs for China-built vehicles. Tesla’s listing of the Model Y vehicles features 394 kilometers, or roughly 245 miles of range, which is what the LFP battery cells offer.
Tesla is likely shipping vehicles from China to Canada to make way for U.S.-built vehicles to handle U.S. customers. Because of the incentives offered through the Inflation Reduction Act, Tesla is slotting away all of its manufacturing volume of the Model Y in the United States, meaning Fremont and Giga Texas, for U.S. customers. U.S.-built EVs receive more money off through tax credits.
Meanwhile, in Canada, customers can purchase an EV built anywhere on Earth and still receive a $5,000 incentive through the iZEV program.
Tesla is also planning to take advantage of China-built vehicles for the Canadian market for some time, as another ship packed with vehicles from Shanghai is on its way to Canada.
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