With its Shanghai plant upgraded, Tesla said on Thursday it has slashed delivery waiting times for its Model 3 and Model Y models in China. A car buyer waiting for the rear-wheel-drive Model Y sport utility vehicle now has to wait four to eight weeks, while a buyer of the other SUV and Model 3 sedans has to wait 12 to 20 weeks.

Orders for the best-selling models from Tesla in China took eight to 24 weeks. The company's Chinese website first announced the reduced waiting time. One reason cited was the ramp-up at its Shanghai plant. The company said it typically delivers more of its Shanghai-produced cars to Chinese customers in the second half of each quarter, accelerating deliveries as well.

A major upgrade to Tesla's Shanghai plant, one of its most productive manufacturing centers, has allowed the company to ramp up production to make 22,000 Model 3s and Model Ys a week by the end of 2016. The company's chief executive has said production is a bigger challenge than demand.

A two-month COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai hurt Tesla's margins in the second quarter, as it struggles to increase production in its Berlin and Texas plants. A big delivery backlog has forced the company to stop taking orders for its Cybertruck outside North America, as well as for Model 3 Long Range vehicles in the United States and Canada.