(Yicai Global) Jan. 19 -- Tesla has delivered its first China-made Model Ys less than three weeks after kicking off production of the second model manufactured in Shanghai.

The first dozens of the mid-size sport-utility vehicles were all Long Range ones and most of the clients are young consumers, Yicai Global learned when visiting the Tesla Center at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center yesterday. It will take some time to deliver bigger quantities.

The California-headquartered company makes two versions of Model Ys in China: Long Range and Performance. Prices start at CNY339,900 (USD52,358). Long Range vehicles can run up to 250 kilometers after being charged for 15 minutes. Their maximum range is 594 km.

Tesla is expected to increase its market share in China with the new model, staff at the service center told Yicai Global. The first buyers are young people who may not have high incomes but are interested in emerging technologies and environmental protection, the employees added.

Imported Model Ys cost as much as 30 percent more than domestically produced ones in China. "The model's high price was an obstacle preventing the middle class from buying it," said Ms. Tang who was the first to receive her Model Y in Shanghai yesterday. "A significant decline has occurred in Model Y's pricing, which has made it more affordable to people like us."

Like Tang, most of the first clients ordered their cars through the company's website between August and September 2020. Some had placed orders even earlier.

The Shanghai plant's output of Model 3s and Model Ys is expected to rise to as many as 600,000 units this year, Yicai Global learned from a second-tier supplier. But the US firm's staff didn't confirm the number. Tesla's maximum global capacity is expected to reach 1 million units in 2021, Chief Executive Elon Musk said when the firm published its earnings report for the fourth quarter.

The Shanghai plant has reached an annual output of 250,000 units, according to data that Tesla released last year. The company began exporting China-made vehicles to Europe last November.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine