Tesla has begun formal sales of the new Model 3 in China, at the same prices as the pre-sale announced last month.

Sales of the new Model 3 officially began in China, with test drive vehicles available in showrooms and first deliveries starting at the end of this month.

Tesla is offering two versions of the sedan -- a rear-wheel-drive version and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version -- with starting prices of RMB 259,900 and RMB 295,900, respectively.

That's the same as the pre-sale prices for the new Model 3 in China, which Tesla announced on September 1, and higher than the starting price of the sedan's previously available basic version.

Customers who currently order either version of the new Model 3 are expected to get deliveries in 6-9 weeks.

Tesla's Shanghai factory began operations in late 2019 and began delivering locally produced Model 3s in January 2020 and locally produced Model Ys in January 2021.

Tesla was offering the Model 3 in 2020 in three versions -- 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.

Since 2021, the single-motor, long-range version of the Model 3 has been no longer available. Prior to Tesla's unveiling of the new Model 3 on September 1, the versions of the sedan available in China were the entry-level version with rear-wheel drive and the performance version with dual-motor all-wheel drive, with starting prices of RMB 231,900 and RMB 331,900, respectively.