The two motors of the updated Model 3 Performance have a power of 137 kW and 265 kW, and the supplier of the battery cells is South Korea's LG Energy Solution.

Tesla launched the updated Model 3 Performance, the most powerful variant of the sedan, in the US and China late last month, and deliveries in China are expected to begin in the third quarter.

The updated Model 3 Performance starts at RMB 335,900 ($46,480) in China, which is RMB 104,000, or 44.85 percent, more expensive than the RMB 231,900 price tag of the sedan's entry-level version.

The new variant has a top speed of 261 kilometers per hour and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.1 seconds, according to Tesla China's website. It has a CLTC range of 623 kilometers.

Tesla's Shanghai factory began operations at the end of 2019 and started deliveries of the locally produced Model 3 in January 2020 and the locally produced Model Y in January 2021.

Tesla was offering the Model 3 in 2020 in three variants -- an entry-level version with single-motor rear-wheel drive, a long-range version with single-motor rear-wheel drive, and a performance version with dual-motor all-wheel drive.

Starting in January 2021, the single-motor rear-wheel-drive long range version was canceled in China, leaving the Model 3 with only the single-motor rear-wheel-drive entry version and the more powerful Model 3 Performance.

On October 19, 2023, Tesla began selling the regamped Model 3, or Model 3 Highland, in China, offering an entry-level rear-wheel-drive version, a long-range all-wheel-drive version, and the Performance edition was absent.

($1 = RMB 7.2268)

Tesla launches updated Model 3 Performance in China with starting price of $46,360