Rumors Of Tesla Model 3 Revamp Reveal Die Out As Musk Ends China Trip

Tesla did not show a glimpse of the so-called Project Highland Model 3 at Giga Shanghai as Bloomberg reported.

By: Dan Mihalascu

Jun 2, 2023 at 7:41am ET

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has ended his visit to China yesterday without unveiling the refreshed Model 3 – a.k.a. Project Highland – as Bloomberg reported.

The billionaire was spotted departing from Shanghai on June 1 in his private jet, bringing to an end a two-day tour that started in Beijing.

It was a very quick and quiet visit for Elon Musk, who didn't post updates from his trip on his Twitter page, except for one tweet yesterday to congratulate the Giga Shanghai and Tesla China SDS teams "for their excellent work overcoming many obstacles over many years."

While Elon Musk was showered with praise by the Chinese public on social media during the visit, he was atypically quiet, refraining from any kind of public statement.

He met with China's foreign minister hours after landing in Beijing, and with the commerce and industry ministers the next day. Reuters sources said he also met Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, who is ranked number six in the country's ruling Politburo.

However, little is known regarding the discussions he had with the high-ranking Chinese officials. The industry ministry noted that the discussions were about the development of EVs and connected cars, while the commerce ministry said Musk discussed Tesla's development in China.

Later in the trip, Musk visited Tesla's Shanghai plant, where the company has been considering a major expansion of output. He held a speech in front of workers, thanking them for staying at the facility late at night to welcome him. A video of his address was posted on Tesla's Weibo account, but it didn't include anything about the updated Model 3.

Musk praised Giga Shanghai employees for their dedication to build some of the company's finest cars.

"I would like to very much congratulate you on the amazing work that you've done. It's been incredibly impressive how you've been able to overcome so many difficulties and many challenges. It warms my heart, you know. And I tell people throughout the world – the cars we produce here are not just the most efficient in production, but the highest quality."

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Nothing about the Tesla Model 3 refresh, though. On the first day of Musk's China visit, Bloomberg reported that Tesla would provide an early glimpse of the facelifted Model 3 in Shanghai.

According to an anonymous source, Tesla was supposed to build the first prototypes of the revamped Model 3 at Giga Shanghai on June 1, something Tesla denied.