Tesla’s Shanghai factory shutdown continues

UPDATE, April 11: Tesla’s Shanghai factory shutdown has continued for around two weeks due to the city’s COVID-19 safety measures.

While the original production halt was meant to last two days, beginning on March 28, it’s understood widespread disruptions have forced Tesla to keep its China plant closed for at least 12 days.

The latest shutdown is in addition to the production pause originally reported on March 18.

Last week, Bloomberg reported Tesla’s local operations had advised suppliers it would continue the shutdown until at least Thursday April 7.

It’s estimated the move will impact around 24,216 vehicles.

Australia’s supply of Tesla cars is likely to be affected, with the Model 3 and upcoming Model Y being produced at the Shanghai plant.

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March 18: Tesla has been forced to temporarily shut down production at its Shanghai plant, as the country deals with its largest COVID-19 outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic.

Tesla advised employees and suppliers it would be halting work for two days, according to Reuters, though a reason for the interruption was not given in the memo.

The factory produces more than 30,000 vehicles for export annually. Australia began receiving Chinese-made Teslas in February 2021, with a total of 12,094 Model 3s registered throughout the year (including early 2021 vehicles sourced from the US).

Government authorities have imposed restrictions on Shanghai residents, with locals confined to their homes for at least 48 hours as they conduct mass testing and contact tracing.

It’s understood Tesla has asked its suppliers to prepare to have workers eat, sleep, and live at the factory in order to ensure production continues without the risk of outside infection.