Tesla is finally releasing the $35,000 version of its Model 3 in the United States. The car which will become the cheapest Tesla car is coming in fulfillment to the promise made by the company about three years ago. Before now, the most affordable Tesla Model 3 was priced at $42,900 after the price was reduced in February. Tesla is currently producing multiple versions of the Standard Range Model 3. According to Tesla, the new $35,000 Tesla Model 3 can cover a distance of 220 miles on a single charge.
The new Standard Range base model can go from 0 to 60mph in just 5.6 seconds and has an incredible top speed of 130mph. There will be another version called the “Standard Range Plus,” which will cost $37,000, according to Tesla. It will have increased top speed of 140mph and can go from 0 to 60mph in just 5.3 seconds, covering 240 miles of range. Tesla says the Standard Range Plus model will come along with “premium interior features.”
Tesla made some additions to the new versions of the Model 3 as against the original announcement; the company added an all-glass roof to the new versions and the cars will come with manual, not power seats. They will also be made available in blacks and other colors. Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the new more affordable Tesla Model 3s will be made available in Europe and China in about “three to six months” time.
Tesla is eliminating physical stores
These new versions of the Model 3 can only be purchased online, which is becoming the only means to buy Tesla’s vehicles. All sales worldwide will now be done online, according to the company. This implies that cars can no longer be bought from any of the company’s stores. Tesla explained that moving all sales online afforded it the opportunity to lower the car’s cost by 6 percent. Hence it was able to reduce the Model 3 price to $35,000.
Tesla stated that the recent change will compel it to wind down many of its stores and sale outlets. Although the company confirmed that a small number of stores will stay open in locations with high-traffic, they will just serve as “galleries, showcases and Tesla information centers.”
Tesla new firmware update will bump range in all models
Tesla, in addition to the $35,000 Tesla Model 3 news, announced on Thursday that it will be shipping new firmware updates to cars already on the road. This number of new updates will help to improve all Tesla vehicle performance. With the post-updates, the “Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3” will see its max mileage increase to 325 miles. While the expensive version of the Model 3 will also increase in performance, jumping to a new top speed of 162 mph.
Tesla through its CEO announced that long-time reservation holders will certainly be considered first when deliveries start. Musk, however, admitted that there is a question of demand. “I mean, I don’t know what the demand is. We’ll see,” Musk said. He disclosed that pending demand for Model 3s is about 500,000 in the US alone.
Musk finally admitted how difficult it was to make the $35,000 Tesla Model 3. Though he revealed that future models could be less than $35,000, but that won’t be until at least two to three years from now.
