Tesla Model 3 facelift: Shanghai factory upgrades begin

Tesla is expected to pause some production lines in its Shanghai factory until the end of February to make way for the purported 2024 Model 3 electric sedan update.

Inside sources have told Bloomberg the manufacturing upgrade is split in two phases; the first will start this Sunday, and some employees won’t be allowed on the production lines.

The anonymous sources claim deliveries of the new Tesla Model 3 electric car are expected to start later this year.

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Reuters reported in November last year that the popular Model 3 sedan would receive a major update with an even more simplified interior, dubbed internally as project ‘Highland’.

However, Tesla’s design boss, Franz von Holzhausen, has downplayed the rumour of a heavy refresh.

“There are things that we're always looking at...Those vehicles [Model 3 and Model Y] are great at what they are, and we haven't seen a need or a demand for a change – so 'don't fix it if it isn't broke', that's kind of the mentality,” von Holzhausen told the Ride the Lightning podcast.

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Tesla Model Y

“You look at the 3 and the Y on the road and they're super modern feeling... why spoil that?”

Two camouflaged examples have been spied roaming Californian roads with only the front and rear covered off. It suggests a subtle design tweak, testing the anticipated Autopilot 4.0 hardware, or the reintroduction of radar sensors, as Electrek previously mooted.

The related Tesla Model Y electric SUV shares the same Shanghai production line and many parts with the Model 3, but there haven’t yet been rumours of a similar update.

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The American company has already been upgrading the Chinese factory’s production lines in the past two months to improve its manufacturing efficiency and cut production costs with a localised supply chain – as reflected in recent price cuts and quick delivery turnover times (up to three months for the Model 3 as at the time of writing).

When will the updated Tesla Model 3 be revealed?

It’s unclear whether Tesla will officially announce the updated Model 3 at its Investor Day on March 2 (Australian time), but it has confirmed we'll see its long-awaited third-generation EV platform – which is expected to be the base for an affordable sub-$40,000 electric car.