Toronto, Ontario — The cheaper, rear-wheel-drive Model Ys promised to Canada by Tesla are likely coming off Shanghai production lines very soon, according to Reuters, with sources expecting the electric SUVs to hit Canadian roads between May and July.
This incoming delivery of these Shanghai-built Model Ys, sold for $10,000 less than its long-range equivalent, will mark the first official connection between Tesla’s largest and most cost-efficient gigafactory operation and North America, the company’s largest market.
Both the new Model Y and the long-range version now qualify for $5,000 purchase incentives in Canada; a fact that will no doubt help Tesla sell a good portion of the 9,000 Model Ys targeted for production and export to North America this quarter.
When Reuters reported in November that Tesla was considering plans to export Chinese-made vehicles to North America, CEO Elon Musk tweeted “False,” without any elaboration.
Last week, Musk told analysts that Tesla’s Shanghai plant had the “lowest cost structure” of any of its factories, according to Reuters.
