I believe it's great move that Shanghai government invested heavily (loans, logistics backup, etc) to bring Tesla here, after all Musk is a pioneer/KOL in this business, and a charming marketer. He has taken so much heat from Detroit and UAW and still he stands firm today. Whether he is a South African, an US immigrant, or perhaps even a Martian doesn't change how Shanghai sees him this way. Like Musk has said Shanghai Tesla is "the best
quality, lowest cost, and also low drama", it serves as a key export hub (to other overseas markets) as well as key driver of China's massive EV supply chain from batteries to every single parts possible. Domestically speaking the mid-priced EV sector (RMB 200~300,000) is expected to eclipse gasoline cars in a few years, Shanghai believes free market competition between Tesla products and other EV players is right way to grow this. Then there are brands competing in the sizable luxury sector (RMB 400~900,000) like NIO and HiPhi, and of course there is a budget sector (below RMB 200,000) though quite small in Shanghai.
I personally have test-drived a few brands and finally picked NIO ES6 recently.
Experience pleasure and comfort while driving with the NIO ES6. A sophisticated mobile living room powered by a smart high-performance system.
www.nio.com