Updated 16/7 (23:47 pm China time): The New Tesla Model 3 will launch in September.

Tesla has applied for a sales license for a new variant of the Model 3 sedan in China. The badge on the rear reads Model 3+, and it is a single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) trim, which, however, features a more expensive ternary NMC battery from LG, currently available only in all-wheel drive (AWD) Long-range or Performance versions.

Tesla currently offers three versions of the Model 3 sedan in China: RWD, Long Range AWD, and Performance AWD.

The entry-level RWD version features a single motor and a 634 km CLTC range, thanks to a lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery from CATL, which has a 62.5 kWh capacity. As LFP batteries are more affordable than NMC, this trim costs 235,500 yuan (32,830 USD).

The Long-range AWD version offers a 753 km CLTC range, thanks to a ternary NMC 78.4 kWh battery from LG. This trim costs 285,500 yuan (39,800 USD).

The new version of the Model 3, recently disclosed by the Chinese regulator, however, combines the entry-level RWD variant with a more expensive NMC LG battery.

As the RWD single-motor trim has lower energy consumption than the AWD dual-motor (11.2 kWh vs 12.1 kWh per 100 km), so installing an NMC LG battery in a single-motor variant could result in a Model 3 with the highest range ever.

According to the Chinese outlet Cailian, the Tesla Model 3+ is scheduled to launch in early September in China, starting at 270,000 yuan (37,600 USD).

Editor’s comment

Still, lots of unknown variables are at play, especially the capacity of the NMC LG battery, which wasn’t disclosed by the regulator. If it’s gonna be the same 78.4 kWh used in AWD, we might soon see a Long-range RWD Model 3 variant in China. We will monitor the release of battery capacity.