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Tesla begins Model Y deliveries in Taiwan with Berlin-built units, but why?

Tesla has expanded the Model Y to Taiwan, but a tricky situation with China’s exports makes it clear the vehicles are not coming from Gigafactory Shanghai.

Tesla officially announced on its Twitter account for the Asian market that all-electric crossover Model Y deliveries had started in Taiwan earlier this week. While it seems ideal that Model Y vehicles from Tesla’s Shanghai factory would be the candidates chosen for Taiwan’s initial deliveries, the cars are actually coming from Germany’s Gigafactory Berlin.

Initial deliveries began earlier this week, with the first owners stating the cars came from Berlin. While tensions between China and Taiwan have been highly-publicized and the relationship still remains far from perfect, import and export restrictions set by each country have made the entire process of expanding Tesla’s deliverable regions more complex. However, Tesla and car companies, in general, are not the only ones feeling the brunt of the restrictions.

In September, China restricted imports of certain fruits and fish from Taiwan, but many farmers were not concerned with the relatively limited sanctions. However, Taiwan has a much more extensive list of banned imports from Mainland China, which includes everything from live cattle, to products containing milk and various vehicle types. These include low-chassis buses, vehicles that could be used to transport more than ten people, sedans, and other passenger cars, according to a list from the Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade.

The list is updated daily, and Teslarati confirmed that motor vehicles are still on the list of banned items.

Tesla has delivered over 6,958 vehicles as of October 2022, so the company has more than likely reached the 7,000 unit mark. The Taiwan Ministry of Communications Statistics Inquiry Network does not have data for November or December.

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