Asian Tech Press (Nov 9) -- Tesla China staff responded that the latest price hike is due to cost reasons.

Tesla China announced on Thursday that, effective immediately, it has increased the selling prices of Model 3 and Model Y long range versions.

The Model Y AWD Long Range's price rose to 302,400 yuan ($41,512), up 2,500 yuan from the previous price of 295,900 yuan.

At the same time, Tesla adjusted the selling price of Refreshed Model 3 with Longer Range to 297,400 yuan ($40,825), versus 295,900 yuan previously.

The price increase has sparked huge attention and become a hot topic on the Chinese Internet.

In response, Tesla China's customer service staff said the price hike was due to rising costs and vehicle configurations had not changed, Chinese media outlet Elephant News reported on Thursday.

"It's normal for car prices to go up and down, and if costs go down, then maybe the price will come down," the staffer said.

(US$1 = 7.2847 yuan)