On the 31st of March 2016, electric car makers Tesla Motors unveiled its long-awaited mass market car, the Tesla Model 3. The outstanding new electric car made its world debut in front of an invited crowd of Tesla owners, journalists and potential buyers at the SpaceX headquarters in Los Angeles, California.
Tesla prides itself on the performance of its electric vehicles, and Elon Musk the founder of the corporation, has made the explicit mission statement that Tesla doesn’t manufacture slow cars. Thus, the Model 3 was expected to perform admirably, it combines real world range, performance, safety and spaciousness into a premium sedan.
The Model 3 will have a range of at least 215 miles (346 km), will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 100 km/h) in less than 6 seconds as standard (but this is Tesla and a faster version would be offered), and will be able to seat five people comfortably. Like the Model S, the Model 3 will come in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions.
The Tesla model 3 is certainly expected to compete with some of the biggest car makers in the compact executive car class. Meaning the Mercedes C-Class, BMW’s 3 Series and Audi’s A4 can be considered rivals and it would be exciting to see how the Model 3 fares when released.
The Model 3 has been part of Musk’s plan since the company’s inception. In 2006, Tesla published what Musk refers to as the “Secret Master Plan”. Step one: The Tesla Roadster, an expensive low-volume car intended to show the world that electric vehicles could be compelling. Step two: The Model S, a mid-production, not-quite-so-expensive car that would show the world how practical, useful, and downright good an electric car could be. (As for the Model X SUV, Musk regards that as step two-and-a-half.)
And now we have Step Three: An affordable mass-market electric car in the guise of the Tesla Model 3.
Design
It is easy to see the influence of the Model S in the Tesla Model 3’s design. Elon Musk has said the Model 3 will be about 80 percent of the size of a Model S, which would make the car about the size of a BMW 3 Series, offering similar dimensions with more conventional powertrains.
With electrical gear in the vehicle taking up a relatively small amount of space, it was logistically feasible to reduce the size of the Model 3 in comparison to the Model S, shifting the front seat forward in order to ensure that there is more room in the rear of the vehicle.
The model 3’s interior is incredibly simple in its design, and has been admired by many who have observed this new offering thus far. The electrics look particularly interesting, with the cabin dominated by a large touchscreen mounted horizontally (rather than the vertically as in other Tesla’s).
Speed and gear selection will be displayed in the upper right corner of the display, and there is a strip of climate controls at the bottom of the screen. The rest of the screen is split between the map display and the stereo controls.
Tesla has stripped down the instrumentation in the vehicle significantly, with the interior actually resembling a concept car in the opinion of many observers. However, the car which went on display at the unveiling event is in fact close to the final production.
The Model 3 contains restyled head lights, a smaller sized wheelbase, smaller sized dimension back traveler goblet, entrance grill and air intake, smaller sized sort of overhangs for the back as well as the front, slightly lowered physique crimp such as shape about the engine.
The rear windows in the Model 3 extend above the roof, while a large sunroof offers the impression that the vehicle features an entirely glass top. This design also ensures that rear headroom is significantly improved, while front seats have been slid forward in order to enable more legroom for passengers in the rear of the vehicle. Thus, the level of headroom and legroom in the vehicle is actually generous in what is ultimately a compact vehicle.
The Model 3 will start at $35,000–about half the price of the larger Model S. They will be offered in multiple configurations, presumably with different power and range, like the Model S line. In the first 72 hours, Tesla received 276,000 pre-orders for the upcoming Model 3. Given Telsa’s limited production capacity, the demand has by far surpassed the supply.
Quite frankly, far ahead of the competition. The Model 3, right now is the best car you’re going to be able to buy for a mass-market electric car at that price point.
Specs
The Model 3 is expected to have a battery pack of about 68 to 70 kWh, using new cells produced at Tesla’s battery Gigafactory, being constructed outside of Reno, Nevada. A battery pack with the power used in the current base Model S applied to a smaller car would bring a greater range.
It features an autopilot system and impressive supercharger fast charging, which ensures that despite the affordable price point of the vehicle, it delivers an excellent overall package. Musk suggests that Tesla will be capable of manufacturing 500,000 vehicles annually in the foreseeable future, once production of the Model 3 is stepped up.
Tesla Motors claimed that, this is the single biggest one-week launch of any product ever. Just a week after the lunch, Tesla reported over 325,000 reservations, which corresponds to about US$14 billion in potential sales. Musk reported that 5% of reservations correspond to the maximum of two vehicles allowed per customer, “suggesting low levels of speculation”. The Model 3 is expected to be available before the end of 2017.
