Over the past months, electric vehicle advocates in the US have been frantically tracking sightings of "Project Highland" updates for the Model 3 infiltration.
A report has now surfaced that an updated version of the all-electric sedan is coming to China.
Tesla China produces the Model 3 and Model Y sedans at Gigafactory Shanghai.
The plant is currently Tesla's highest production plant, and currently produces cars that meet the needs of the global and domestic markets.
If Tesla is really preparing updates for the Model 3, then carrying out the upgrades at Gigafactory Shanghai makes sense.
According to a report from Bloomberg News, Tesla China will halt some production at its Gigafactory in Shanghai until the end of February.
The facility has two phases that are used to manufacture cars, and as upgrades continue, some workers in phase one will reportedly not be allowed to work on production lines by Sunday.
Citing people reportedly familiar with the matter, the post noted that upgrades to Giga Shanghai's production lines have been rolled out in stages over the past two months.
This allowed the facility to operate and produce vehicles as normal even as improvements were implemented.
However, with the upcoming lockdown, one can infer that the upgrades may be nearing completion.
It remains to be seen if the upgrades to Giga Shanghai will result in the facility producing the new generation Tesla Model 3.
However, previous reports have suggested that "Project Highland" updates to the Model 3 should go into production in the third quarter of 2023.
This suggests that updates to the Model 3 Giga Shanghai after these upcoming upgrades may be a half step towards a full "Project Highland" rollout.