Tesla Inc said on Friday it plans to start delivering Model 3 cars to customers in China in March, cementing a time frame that the U.S. electric vehicle maker's chief executive, Elon Musk, tweeted about late last year.

The California-based firm, which aims to accelerate Chinese sales that have been hit hard by the impact of trade tension between Washington and Beijing, said in a statement the starting price for a Model 3 in China would be 499,000 yuan (72,000 U.S. dollars).

Tesla cut prices for its Model 3 last month, the third time the firm has adjusted prices in China in the last two months.

In November, Tesla cut the prices of its Model X and Model S in China by between 12 and 26 percent.