Tesla Model 3 First Look Review

After much anticipation and speculation, the Tesla Model 3 has finally been revealed at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. Priced from $35,000, the Model 3 will be the company’s entry-level model when it goes on sale.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk called tonight “Part 1 of the Model 3 unveil,” and said the second part would come closer to production. Still, the executive had much to reveal. Though no technical details were divulged, Musk said the Model 3 will accelerate to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds. He also said versions that go much faster will be available, and a cutaway diagram hinted at the availability of dual-motor all-wheel drive. In addition, the car will have an EPA-rated range of at least 215 miles and will be rated five stars in every safety category. The car will come  standard with Autopilot hardware and “comfortable” seating for five adults. Like the Model S, the Model 3 will feature a front and rear trunk. Supercharging capability will come standard, which is good news since Musk says Tesla plans to double its 3,600 Superchargers worldwide by the end of 2017. The company will also quadruple the number of destination chargers and increase the number of  Tesla stores from 215 to 441.

Despite Musk’s earlier claims that the Model 3 would be a sedan, the car presented at the reveal featured a distinct hatchback profile. The  car inherits many styling cues from the Model S up front, but foregoes a grille in favor of a blunted front bumper that simulates the shape of the Model S’ fascia.

Although the Chevrolet Bolt EV hatchback, which starts at $37,500 before government incentives and has a range of at least 200 miles, will be the Model 3’s primary all-electric competition, the EV is intended to go up against compact premium models like the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The Model 3 joins the Model S sedan and recently launched Model X SUV. Musk originally wanted to name the car Model E so that Tesla’s lineup would spell out “SEX,” but legal threats from Ford forced the name change. However, since the number 3 doubles as the letter E in leet speak, the hacker language known to many tech-savvy consumers, Musk still gets his lewd Easter egg.

With the reveal of the Model 3, Tesla moves into the next phase of the plan it devised a decade ago. In 2006, Musk published his “secret master plan” outlining Tesla’s future, in which he detailed the Model S and an “even more affordable car.” “In keeping with a fast-growing technology company, all free cash flow is plowed back into R&D to drive down the costs and bring the follow-on products to market as fast as possible,” Musk wrote. “When someone buys the Tesla Roadster sports car, they are actually helping pay for development of the low-cost family car.”

Also helping to make the Model 3’s lower price point possible is Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada, which will eventually be able to produce battery packs on such a large scale that the per-kWh cost is reduced by more than 30 percent. The Gigafactory is set to begin production in 2017, with production of the Model 3 to follow in late 2017 at Tesla’s Fremont, Calif., plant. Future production capacity of that facility is estimated at 500,000 units per year. Musk said he’s “fairly confident” that deliveries will begin next year. At the time of the press conference, Musk said Tesla had received more than 115,000 orders for the Model 3.

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