SHANGHAI - More than 1,800 Tesla electric cars, including over 1,600 Model 3 from the United States, will arrive at a port in Shanghai in the early hours of Friday, marking the first large-scale shipment of Tesla's new models to the eastern Chinese city.

Shanghai customs said fast clearance will be granted to the vehicles, meaning all 1,800 Tesla cars will be transported directly to dealers soon after the disembarkation at Pudong Waigaoqiao Port.

Customs figures show the city imported 373,000 cars in 2018, down 9.8 percent. The average price for each imported vehicle rose by 5.7 percent.