After over a year of leaks, teasing, pictures, and hundreds of thousands of pre-orders, the Tesla Model 3 finally has a production date.
That’s right, after promising late last week to deliver the news, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has finally given the date that fans of the brand have been eagerly awaiting. The first production car should be completed this Friday. The first 30 deliveries are scheduled for a handover party on the 28th.
The announcement came last night via Musk’s Twitter account.
Model 3 passed all regulatory requirements for production two weeks ahead of schedule. Expecting to complete SN1 on Friday
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017
SN1 is short for serial number one.
Musk said that “production grows exponentially.”
His forecast expects production to start off slowly, with just 100 cars produced in August, followed by 1,500 built in September.
Looks like we can reach 20,000 Model 3 cars per month in Dec
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017
Musk said that Tesla will grow to production to 20,000 Model 3s per month by the end of this year. It will need to grow that quickly in order to fill a backlog of reservations that could number nearly 500,000. It’s a big jump for a company that sold just under 80,000 vehicles last year.
Even if you’re near the front of the reservation line, it might still be a while before you get your car. Tesla has said that employees will get the first cars, meaning that they can help weed out and fix any bugs that can happen when you launch a brand new car at a brand new factory.
SEE ALSO: Tesla Model 3 News Update
So while we wait for those first deliveries, here’s what we know about the Model 3. The Model 3 is Tesla’s first affordable model, selling from just $35,000. That’s a big drop from the Model S, which starts from $72,700.
The base model has a claimed range of 215 miles. 0-60 mph is quoted at 5.6-seconds. The smaller car will be just under 185 inches long, making it a little more than one foot shorter than the Model S. It has seating for five, with 14 cubic feet of cargo space split between the front and rear trunks.
Elon Musk has made it clear that the new car is a smaller, more affordable car, not a technological replacement for the Model S. That doesn’t mean that there will be no innovation inside though. It will still have Autopilot hardware, access to the company’s superchargers, and is expected to receive a five-star safety rating.
We’ve also seen the minimalist interior. There is a steering wheel, a 15-inch touchscreen, and little else. The combination of wood, leather, and Alcantara add warmth to the simplicity in the cabin.
The early cars will be limited to just a few options.
“It’s kind of going to be like what color do you want and what size of wheels do you want. That’s basically going to be the configurator” said Musk.
Additional options, including longer range and all-wheel drive could become available sometime next year.
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