Model X Spotted in China

[CTemp222]

Just saw this link on the investors thread. Looks like some wealthy Chinese customers are willing to pay the price.
http://club.autohome.com.cn/bbs/thread-c-2664-50023926-1.html

 

[Fallenone]

That's a mule. Probably made its way to be tested for safety.

 

[madodel]

The door handles don't line up. They could have at least fixed that. I guess this answers to the question what happens to all the mules they built. Send them to China to be cloned I suppose.

 

[CarlK]

Yes it's a mule that still got the CA MFG plate.

 

[CTemp222]

So whats a mule doing all the way over there? Are they registering it or something?

 

[ModelXBoy]

Simple, there are lots of rich people in China looking for an unique ride. Cars in China cost 1 and half time the price here in the states. A 60,000 Porsche caynne costs close to 2 mil Chinese RMB, which is roughly 150k US dollar. A car like the model X probably don't have any import duty due to been a green electric car. Someone rich will jump on it by paying high dollars here to get the car, and ship back by air or boat. By looking at the image the car is in a very rural town, not mega cities like Beijing,Shanghai, or Hongkong. No surprise to me at all. Too much wealthy is in very few people in China.

 

[larmor]

So TM is selling (or has sold) a MX mule on the open market in China? Whaat... Perhaps TM brought the mule over for regulations, inspection, etc for certification.

 

[vandacca]

So TM is selling (or has sold) a MX mule on the open market in China? Whaat... Perhaps TM brought the mule over for regulations, inspection, etc for certification.

I'm with larmor. I very much doubt Tesla would sell a mule to anyone. My guess is that this is there for testing in the Chinese market. After Canada, China is the next expected market, even before Europe.

 

[Fallenone]

There is import duty for Tesla. Adding other fees, a Model S is about 150% the price in China. Tesla doesn't add any premium to their products sold in China like other luxury brands, but import duty and VAT and other fees are still taking the toll.

This mule lacks the Tesla symbol on the nose, has misaligned door handle, and looks not in its best days. And according to the original poster (the link is re-posting the pics) on Weibo (China's version of Twitter), the interior is not complete. No rich will be willing to pay high dollars for this specific car. The building in front of it says "Dingyuan Ruide Automobile Testing ltd." in, Dingyuan is the town's name, Ruide is the company's name. Dingyuan also has China's largest vehicle proving ground. All in all, it's most likely a mule tested in US, shipped to China to do tests before Tesla can officially export X to China.

Simple, there are lots of rich people in China looking for an unique ride. Cars in China cost 1 and half time the price here in the states. A 60,000 Porsche caynne costs close to 2 mil Chinese RMB, which is roughly 150k US dollar. A car like the model X probably don't have any import duty due to been a green electric car. Someone rich will jump on it by paying high dollars here to get the car, and ship back by air or boat. By looking at the image the car is in a very rural town, not mega cities like Beijing,Shanghai, or Hongkong. No surprise to me at all. Too much wealthy is in very few people in China.

 

[emtf]

The place called China dingyuan car testing ground, I believe the MX is just prepare for it's C-NCAP (China-New Car Assessment Program) there.

 

[Festerfeet]

Absolutely agree. The car is there for testing