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Tesla’s original Model 3 Long Range RWD version gets offered in China
Official Tesla Model 3 deliveries in China are yet to begin, but the electric car maker is already going full throttle preparing the market for the arrival of its latest electric sedan. Amidst the start of test drives and sightings of Model 3 Performance equipped with the company’s unique Power Sports aero wheels, Tesla has also added a new version of the vehicle on its Chinese configurator — the Model 3 Long Range RWD.
The addition of the Long Range RWD variant to China’s Model 3 configurator is a rather interesting move by the electric car maker, considering that this particular version was retired in the United States in favor of the lower-priced Mid Range Model 3 RWD. As could be seen from screenshots provided by Tesla owner-enthusiast @ShanghaiJayin, the Long Range Model 3 RWD is offered at 433,000 yuan (around $64,000) before options. That makes it a notable bargain compared to the Long Range AWD Model 3, which starts at 499,00 yuan (around $74,000) in China.
Breaking news today from Tesla China, New Model 3 option in China. Long Range Battery – Rear Wheel Drive. 600KM+ (New photos) #Tesla #TeslaChina #Model3 #China @ElectrekCo @Teslarati @Tesla pic.twitter.com/I6ZGgfrW5H
— Jay in Shanghai 电动 Jay 🇨🇳 (@JayinShanghai) February 1, 2019
The Long Range RWD version of the electric sedan started the entire Model 3 disruption. Being the only configuration available for the vehicle when it started production, the vehicle carried Model 3 sales for several quarters. Despite lacking the dual motors of the Model 3 Performance, the Long Range RWD boasted some impressive specs, from its 310-mile range, its 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds, and its top speed of 140 mph. In the initial months following the start of its production, the Long Range Model 3 was sighted competing in drag races, and just like its larger siblings — the Model S and Model X — the electric sedan proved to be quick on its feet.
It should also be noted that the Long Range Model 3 RWD is the configuration that won over longtime gearhead and veteran auto journalist Henry Payne, who noted that he purchased the electric sedan simply because there is no other vehicle like it on the road. So impressed was Payne with his Long Range Model 3 that he eventually dubbed the vehicle as the 2018 Car of the Year in The Detroit News.
Auto teardown expert Sandy Munro, who ultimately became impressed with Tesla’s tech, also analyzed the vehicle. Munro’s change of heart with the Model 3 is well documented, as he initially disliked the vehicle due to the quality issues with its build, but he eventually admitted that he had to “eat a lot of crow” by the end of his analysis, since it turned out that the electric sedan’s batteries, motors, suspension, and electronics, were completely top-notch.
Tesla’s addition of the Long Range RWD Model 3 for the Chinese market could prove to be a strategic move for the electric car maker, as the vehicle’s relatively low price compared to the Long Range AWD and Performance variants could entice the country’s more budget-conscious car buyers. With a price of around $64,000, the Long Range Model 3 RWD offers China-based customers a chance to purchase a Tesla at a price far below the brand’s usual costs (the Model S 100D, for example, is listed around 849,600 yuan or $126,000 in China). Ultimately, the vehicle would likely be able to play the part of the Model 3’s low-cost variant in China, at least until Tesla is able to start manufacturing more affordable versions of the sedan in Gigafactory 3.
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Tesla’s six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L sold out for January 2026
Estimated delivery dates for new Tesla Model Y L orders now extend all the way into February 2026.
The Tesla Model Y L seems to be in high demand in China, with estimated delivery dates for new orders now extending all the way into February 2026.
This suggests that the Model Y L has been officially sold out from the rest of 2025 to January 2026.
Model Y L estimated delivery dates
The Model Y L’s updated delivery dates mark an extension from the vehicle’s previous 4-8 week estimated wait time. A detailed chart shared by Tesla data tracker @Tslachan on X shows the progressions of the Model Y L’s estimated delivery dates since its launch earlier this year.
Following its launch in September, the vehicle was given an initial October 2025 estimated delivery date. The wait times for the vehicle were continually updated over the years, until the middle of November, when the Model Y L had an estimated delivery date of 4-8 weeks. This remained until now, when Tesla China simply listed February 2026 as the estimated delivery date for new Model Y L orders.
Model Y demand in China
Tesla Model Y demand in China seems to be very healthy, even beyond the Model Y L. New delivery dates show the company has already sold out its allocation of the all-electric crossover for 2025. The Model Y has been the most popular vehicle in the world in both of the last two years, outpacing incredibly popular vehicles like the Toyota RAV4. In China, the EV market is substantially more saturated, with more competitors than in any other market.
Tesla has been particularly kind to the Chinese market, as it has launched trim levels for the Model Y in the country that are not available anywhere else, such as the Model Y L. Demand has been strong for the Model Y in China, with the vehicle ranking among the country’s top 5 New Energy Vehicles. Interestingly enough, vehicles that beat the Model Y in volume like the BYD Seagull are notably more affordable. Compared to vehicles that are comparably priced, the Model Y remains a strong seller in China.
Elon Musk
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang commends Tesla’s Elon Musk for early belief
“And when I announced DGX-1, nobody in the world wanted it. I had no purchase orders, not one. Nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody wanted to be part of it, except for Elon.”
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Wednesday and commended Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his early belief in what is now the most valuable company in the world.
Huang and Musk are widely regarded as two of the greatest tech entrepreneurs of the modern era, with the two working in conjunction as NVIDIA’s chips are present in Tesla vehicles, particularly utilized for self-driving technology and data collection.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regrets not investing more in Elon Musk’s xAI
Both CEOs defied all odds and created companies from virtually nothing. Musk joined Tesla in the early 2000s before the company had even established any plans to build a vehicle. Jensen created NVIDIA in the booth of a Denny’s restaurant, which has been memorialized with a plaque.
On the JRE episode, Rogan asked about Jensen’s relationship with Elon, to which the NVIDIA CEO said that Musk was there when nobody else was:
“I was lucky because I had known Elon Musk, and I helped him build the first computer for Model 3, the Model S, and when he wanted to start working on an autonomous vehicle. I helped him build the computer that went into the Model S AV system, his full self-driving system. We were basically the FSD computer version 1, and so we were already working together.
And when I announced DGX-1, nobody in the world wanted it. I had no purchase orders, not one. Nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody wanted to be part of it, except for Elon.
He goes ‘You know what, I have a company that could really use this.’ I said, Wow, my first customer. And he goes, it’s an AI company, and it’s a nonprofit and and we could really use one of these supercomputers. I boxed one up, I drove it up to San Francisco, and I delivered it to the Elon in 2016.”
The first DGX-1 AI supercomputer was delivered personally to Musk when he was with OpenAI, which provided crucial early compute power for AI research, accelerating breakthroughs in machine learning that underpin modern tools like ChatGPT.
Tesla’s Nvidia purchases could reach $4 billion this year: Musk
The long-term alliance between NVIDIA and Tesla has driven over $2 trillion in the company’s market value since 2016.
Elon Musk
GM CEO Mary Barra says she told Biden to give Tesla and Musk EV credit
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla…You know me, Andrew. I don’t want to take credit for things.”
General Motors CEO Mary Barra said in a new interview on Wednesday that she told President Joe Biden to credit Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, for the widespread electric vehicle transition.
She said she told Biden this after the former President credited her and GM for leading EV efforts in the United States.
During an interview at the New York Times Dealbook Summit with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Barra said she told Biden that crediting her was essentially a mistake, and that Musk and Tesla should have been explicitly mentioned (via Business Insider):
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla…You know me, Andrew. I don’t want to take credit for things.”
GM CEO Mary Barra said to Andrew Sorkin at the New York Times Dealbook Summit that she pulled President Biden aside and said Tesla CEO @elonmusk deserved the credit for EVs:
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla,'” Barra… pic.twitter.com/OHBTG1QfbJ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 3, 2025
Back in 2021, President Biden visited GM’s “Factory Zero” plant in Detroit, which was the centerpiece of the company’s massive transition to EVs. The former President went on to discuss the EV industry, and claimed that GM and Barra were the true leaders who caused the change:
“In the auto industry, Detroit is leading the world in electric vehicles. You know how critical it is? Mary, I remember talking to you way back in January about the need for America to lead in electric vehicles. I can remember your dramatic announcement that by 2035, GM would be 100% electric. You changed the whole story, Mary. You did, Mary. You electrified the entire automotive industry. I’m serious. You led, and it matters.”
People were baffled by the President’s decision to highlight GM and Barra, and not Tesla and Musk, who truly started the transition to EVs. GM, Ford, and many other companies only followed in the footsteps of Tesla after it started to take market share from them.
Elon Musk and Tesla try to save legacy automakers from Déjà vu
Musk would eventually go on to talk about Biden’s words later on:
“They have so much power over the White House that they can exclude Tesla from an EV Summit. And, in case the first thing, in case that wasn’t enough, then you have President Biden with Mary Barra at a subsequent event, congratulating Mary for having led the EV revolution.”
In Q4 2021, which was shortly after Biden’s comments, Tesla delivered 300,000 EVs. GM delivered just 26.
Tesla’s six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L sold out for January 2026
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang commends Tesla’s Elon Musk for early belief
