If you’ve been following the automotive scene lately, then we’re quite sure you’re a bit anxious to find out when exactly will electric vehicle start-up Tesla release its Model 3. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising an affordable fully electric car for quite some time now. And teaser after teaser has been floating around the Web. Now, the wait is finally over as Tesla delivered the first 30 units of the Model 3 from its Fremont, California production facility recently.
Set to roll out onto American roads by the last quarter of 2017, the Tesla Model 3 will come in two variants—the Base and a Long Range version. The former will have a range of about 354kms and can do the 0-100kph sprint in just 5.6 seconds before hitting a 209kph top speed. At around $35,000, it will come well-equipped with goodies like a 15-inch touchscreen, dual-zone climate control, WI-FI and LTE internet connection, onboard maps and navigation, remote climate control activation using the Tesla app, and a whole slew of safety gear including eight cameras, 12 radars, and ultrasonic sensors to aid with goodies like collision avoidance, just to name a few.
Those that want a bit more range and power (and who wouldn’t?) can opt for the Long Range trim level. An additional $9,000 gets you 499kms of driving range on a single charge, a 0-100kph sprint time of 5.1 seconds, and a top speed reaching 225kph. One can even spec their Model 3 with either 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels.
While the Tesla Model 3 is essentially a scaled-down Model S, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That’s because the Model S is one good-looking car that proves that such types of vehicles need not be ugly and slow. They can, as Tesla shows us, be swift and sexy.
A Tesla Model 3 with all-wheel drive could come later this year or early next year. For now, however, Tesla Model 3 deliveries are already underway.
