Tesla Motors has finally announced a vehicle that Elon Musk hopes will thrust electric vehicles into the mainstream, making the technology widely accessible to the general public when they consider a new car. The company has officially used a gathering at its design studio in Hawthorne, California, to introduce the Tesla Model 3 to the world. Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the opportunity to boldly claim that the Model 3 will offer at least a 215 mile range on a full charge, and that the lineup will begin selling at the $35,000 price point.
Tesla’s current portfolio of vehicles includes the Model S and the Model X, both of which are expensive options, and perhaps prohibitively so in most cases for individuals looking to get in on the electric vehicle action. Musk and Tesla Motors clearly see this new Model 3 option as a way for the everyday car owner to not only experience what Tesla vehicles are all about, but to also be able to purchase a highly performant and efficient vehicle that offers a great line up of features even at the bottom end of the range’s pricing spectrum.
The base Tesla Model 3 will offer a 0-60 mph experience in less than 6 seconds, but if you’re willing to part with a little additional cash for a higher specification then you get introduce to a Model 3 into your life that will go “much faster”. There’s also the benefit of receiving a fully electric vehicle that is capable of delivering a 215 mile range from one full charge, although Elon Musk actually hopes that range will have been significantly increased by the time the Model 3 ships in late 2017. Integration for Tesla’s high-speed Supercharging network is also built into the Model 3 as standard.
The level of functionality built into this particular vehicle as standard is enough to make other vehicle manufacturers hang their head in shame. The base $35,000 Model 3 offers a 15-inch landscape touchscreen experience inside of the car – a change that sees Tesla move away from the existing 17-inch portrait offering that lives inside of the Model S and Model X. It can also fit 5 adults inside.
Consumers looking to put down the necessary $1,000 to reserve a Model 3 will also benefit from Autopilot hardware and features as standard, and have access to mass storage space with front and rear trunks that take advantage of the fact that this gorgeous vehicle doesn’t have to find space for a combustion engine under the hood.
Elon Musk put his name and reputation on the line ten years ago when he publicly stated in a blog post that his company would reinvest profits of the more expensive vehicles to produce an affordable but highly permeant electric vehicle. It looks as though that has come true, with Musk effectively betting billions of dollars and his company on the successes of the Model 3.
Considering there’s already been more than 130,000 individuals reserving one of the new cars, we’re going to bet that the company is safe in the hands of Musk.
If the Model 3 tickles your fancy, you can reserve a model right now at model3.tesla.com by providing your details to Tesla and putting down a small deposit of $1000. As mentioned earlier, Model 3 will ship in late 2017 and costs $35,000 for base model.
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