The first Tesla Model EV – Tesla’s new compact electric saloon – has rolled off Tesla’s production line ahead of cars arriving with owners at the end of July.
Last week Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, announced that the first production Model 3 would roll off the production line at the end of thew eek. And it did.
Over the weekend, Musk tweeted a photo (above) of the ‘SN1’ Model 3 ahead of the first owners of the new car getting their cars at the end of July.
This may be the start of Model 3 production – and it’s impressive that Tesla has managed it in such a short timeframe – but it looks like these early cars are hand-built and being produced in small numbers.
In fact, just 30 cars are being delivered at the end of the month, and only 100 more in August, but Musk reckons production will be up to 20,000 a month by the end of the year.
At $35k, the Model 3 offers a lot – although final specs are still not exactly clear – with the base model expected to deliver a 60kWh battery, a range of over 200 miles and 0-62mph in under 6.0 seconds.
But it does seem Tesla are relying on owners to spend rather more on their Model 3 than the base price, with analysts suggesting Tesla will lose money on cars which fail to hit the $50k mark when specced.
The new Tesla Model 3 isn’t expected to arrive in the UK until at least the end of 2018.
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