Tesla has opened a new delivery center in China that is twice the size of its previous facility, as the electric carmaker ramps up its operations in the world's largest auto market.

The new center in the eastern city of Shanghai will be able to deliver 3,500 cars a week, Tesla said in a statement on Thursday, up from the 2,000 cars a week it could handle at its old location.

The move comes as Tesla is expanding its manufacturing footprint in China, where it started production at its Shanghai Gigafactory last year. The factory is the company's first outside the United States.

Deliveries of Tesla's Shanghai-made cars started in December, and the company has been ramping up production since then. It is aiming to produce around 3,000 Model 3 sedans a week at the factory by the end of this quarter.

The new delivery center will help Tesla meet the rising demand for its cars in China, where it has been aggressively expanding its sales and marketing efforts.

Tesla opened its first experience center and store in China in 2014, and now has over 60 stores and service locations across the country.

The company has also been working on building a network of Supercharger fast-charging stations in China. It currently has over 1,600 Superchargers in the country, and is aiming to have 3,000 by the end of this year.