The first production models of the long-awaited Tesla Model 3 will arrive on Friday (7 July), Elon Musk has revealed. The vehicle was first announced in March 2016 as Tesla's attempt to produce an affordable electric car for the masses.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk confirmed in a tweet that "all regulatory requirements" for the hotly anticipated car have been passed, two weeks ahead of schedule. He also said that the first 30 customers would receive their Model 3s on 28 July at a handover party.
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Musk also confirmed that production would then grow exponentially with 100 cars in August, then 1,500 by September and 20,000 cars per month by December.
The company had previously vowed to ship the first models by the end of 2017, so the timeline has them right on schedule.
What is the Tesla Model 3?: The Model 3 is Tesla's take on a more affordable, everyday electric car. It's to Tesla what the Focus is to Ford, for example, whereas the Model S is more like a Mercedes S-Class.
Telsa Model 3 UK price: There's no confirmed UK price for the Tesla Model 3. The base price in the US will be $35,000, which converts to around £27,000 in the UK. Of course, once you take import duties and various other taxes into account, a UK price between £30,000 to £35,000 seems realistic.
Telsa Model 3 UK release date: Again, there's no precise Model 3 UK release date as yet. However, you can reserve a Model 3 on Tesla's UK website with a deposit of £1,000 and Tesla estimates a delivery date of mid-2018 or later.
Telsa Model 3 specs and range: The Model 3 has a quoted range of 215 miles, seats five adults and goes from 0-60mph in less than 6 seconds. Tesla's Autopilot system comes as standard.
The company plans to ramp up production dramatically in 2018, with a target of 500,000 per year.
The Tesla Model 3 has a range of 215 miles and supports the company's Supercharger network. It also comes with a 15-inch touchscreen, autopilot and space for five adults.
After it was first announced last year, pre-orders for the car took off rapidly, reaching 275,000 just days after the launch. Pre-orders have since topped 400,000.
The Model 3 has a base price of $35,000 and can be customised with additional features. However, the first customers are limited to choosing only colour and wheel and type, says Musk.
The car is pitched as a more affordable alternative to the Model S and Model X, which have hefty price tags starting at around £50,000 and £66,000 respectively.
In April, Wall Street valued Tesla as the most valuable car manufacturer in the US by market cap, despite it rarely making a profit. The company was given a valuation of $51.4 billion (£41.4 billion), putting it ahead of Ford ($45 billion/£36 billion), and GM's ($50.3 billion/£40.5 billion).
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
