Tesla saw its 5 millionth vehicle roll off the production line, marking a major milestone in the history of the electric vehicle (EV) maker, which was founded in 2003.

It took Tesla 12 years to see its one millionth vehicle roll off the line, and just 18 months to produce its second millionth vehicle, according to the company.

It took Tesla a shorter 11 months to go from its 2 millionth to 3 millionth car off the line. It took seven months to go from 3 million to 4 million, and six months from the 4 millionth to the 5 millionth, it said.

Tesla's Shanghai factory, which began construction on January 7, 2019 and became operational at the end of 2019, is the first wholly foreign-owned automotive manufacturing project in China.

Giga Shanghai began delivering Model 3 sedans in January 2020 and Model Y crossovers in January 2021 to local consumers.

On September 1, Tesla unexpectedly began pre-sales of the new Model 3 in China. Official sales of the model have yet to begin, with Tesla's Chinese website showing an expected delivery date in the fourth quarter.

The new Model 3 continues to be offered as a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model in the entry version, but the previously available two-motor Performance version has been replaced by a dual-motor Long Range version.

Pre-sale prices for the entry-level new Model 3 in China start at RMB 259,900, which is RMB 28,000, or 12 percent, higher than the older model's starting price of RMB 231,900.