Amid speculation about Tesla’s readiness to perform and meet demand, the company has announced its plans in terms of production for the upcoming Model 3.
Secret Master Plan
The Model 3 has always been part of the company’s so-called secret master plan which had been envisaged around three steps: First there was the Roadster, followed by the Model S (with the Model X SUV referred to as an in-between step) and now the Model 3.
Affordable EV
The market has been looking forward to more news about the Tesla Model 3 for some time, mainly because it is the company’s first real effort at testing the mainstream market with an affordable EV. In the past the company targeted only those buyers who were happy to pay the prices that the top end of the market demands.
Production
Limited production of the Model 3 is set to start around July, with full-scale production around September. The company aims to gradually increase its output from 5, 000 a week by the end of this year to 10, 000 a week next year.
The 400, 000 customers who placed a deposit of £1, 000 should be excited to finally see things move forward in terms of production and delivery dates for the Model 3. They are, however, receiving regular updates on their ‘My Tesla’ page.
Details
Although a lot of information still has to be shared with the public, what seems to be certain at this point is that The Model 3 will have a range of 215 miles per charge. It will also race from 0 – 60mph in 6 seconds. That is standard. However, faster models will be produced too. In the words of Elon Musk, CEO, “Tesla doesn’t make slow cars.” It has also emerged that a new colour, which has not been considered before, will be added to the range: a dark blue.
Future Plans
Tesla has pledged to produce around 500, 000 cars across its total range during 2018 and a million two years later, in 2020. This is in sharp contrast to the 80, 000 it produced in 2016. Somewhere in the not too distant future Tesla is planning the Model Y, a compact SUV. The company is already putting out feelers for investors to help make the Y a reality.
Price and First Deliveries
With the Model 3 Tesla hopes to compete directly with the BMW 330e and first indications are that it will sell at around $35,000/£28,000 – and possibly closer to $42,000/£34,000 once options have been added to the basic car. The first batch is expected to be available near the end of the year in the US and in 2018 in the UK (so it’s nearly time to sell my car and get your Tesla orders in!).