Tesla Model 3 General Discussion

[CodeRedR51]

Did a search but didn't find a thread for this already. The car is supposed to debut in some form or another in the first half of 2016, so might as well start a thread. Plenty of rumors going around, and we'll start with this:

http://bgr.com/2015/11/18/tesla-model-3-design/

One of the more intriguing aspects of the Model 3 will be how the car itself will look, and so far, all we know about the Model 3 is that we should expect the unexpected. During a Reddit AMA held a few months ago, Musk was asked if he could share anything about the Model 3 that the public wasn’t yet aware of.

Musk’s response was pointed and tantalizing: “It won’t look like other cars.”

.............................

...What I’m hearing internally is that CEO Elon Musk is intensely driving the engineering designers to deliver a design with a drag coefficient lower than .20 which would make it the lowest of any mass production car in the world and close to extreme vehicles like GM’s EV1 and Volkswagen’s XL1 (pictured above), – both cars that have flat rear wheel covers...

 

[homeforsummer]

Those lines certainly have me intrigued. I like the Model S, but I do find it a little bland to behold - certainly not unpleasant, but lacking in identity. It catches the eye on the road mainly because it's massive and because the DRL signature is fairly distinctive.

But if they go down a different route with the Model 3, it could be a good opportunity to give the brand some real style.

 

[kikie]

So it's not going to be a small Model S?

 

[AudiMan2011]

So it's not going to be a small Model S?

It isn't, as it's also going to be on a bespoke platform:

Autocar
The Model 3 is expected to sit on bespoke underpinnings rather than a cut down version of the all-aluminium Model S platform, because it is tipped be around three-quarters of the size of the Model S and significantly lower in price.

 

[YSSMAN]

I think the trick right now is making sure that they can hit that $30-40k price range before incentives, because I'm fairly sure that is going to dry up eventually. Still, if they're promising a true 200+ mile range at that price, they're going well above and beyond anything GM would be able to do with the Bolt (let alone whatever Nissan decides to do with the Leaf). And, with the Supercharger network finally getting into some pretty remote areas of the US, the idea of being able to go almost anywhere in the US is coming true much sooner than I'd have expected.

One of my best friends from High School works for Tesla, and he's been mum on the Model 3 every time I've asked him about it. I'm guessing its going to be a long while until we see it. Either way, buy your shares now.

 

[CodeRedR51]

They're supposed to show a concept or prototype early 2016. Let's see if that time frame sticks...

 

[mustafur]

I think if they can match the price of the Compact executives like The 3 Series then it will have a massive market.

 

[homeforsummer]

Still, if they're promising a true 200+ mile range at that price, they're going well above and beyond anything GM would be able to do with the Bolt (let alone whatever Nissan decides to do with the Leaf)

I'm not so sure. By the time the Model 3 eventually arrives, I expect Chevy and Nissan will both have real-world 200-mile EVs on the market. Tesla may even be late to the party by that time.

 

[mustafur]

I think even if Tesla is late to the party they will still sell like no tommorow just from the Brand status.

 

[homeforsummer]

Probably, but they're still a relatively small company fighting against very big ones. It's one thing launching a product in a luxury market where people have more cash to splash and can afford to take a few more risks. It's quite another launching a product in a much larger, more competitive segment of the market. All things being equal, the average consumer is more likely to go for a trusted brand like Nissan or Chevy than a relative newcomer like Tesla.

That said, if Tesla really does bring out something groundbreaking in design or aero, it may have a different USP than simply "200-mile EV".

 

[CodeRedR51]

Small update here, Tesla are officially testing the Model 3 drivetrain. Just take my word for it.

 

[Dan]

Small update here, Tesla are officially testing the Model 3 drivetrain. Just take my word for it.

I don't doubt they are, but other people likely will. You'll probably need to give a source or some credible information.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I don't doubt they are, but other people likely will. You'll probably need to give a source or some credible information.

Source = me.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Tune in for the 3/31 unveiling on tesla.com #Model3

 

[Dan]

YES!!! HYPE!!!

I can't wait for this, but I wish they'd unveil it sooner!

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Anyone ever notice that Tesla has an exceptionally bad logo? It looks like a v-neck shirt with a wet noodle hovering over it...which has profound implications if you think about it really deeply.

 

[Dan]

I quite like it. Simplistic and smart. It could also be a hidden message from supervillain Elon Musk that his base is burried deep inside the earth's crust which he will carry out his operations from whilst dominating the entire world.

 

[Northstar]

I've always quite liked their logo, it's kind of both futuristic and retro at the same time.

It could also be a hidden message from supervillain Elon Musk that his base is burried deep inside the earth's crust which he will carry out his operations from whilst dominating the entire world.

Space X is really just a program to develop his escape pod for when he unleashes his super-soldiers on the unsuspecting planet. Hyperloop is to aid in their dispersion.

 

[Omnis]

It's evocative of Tesla's coil tower.

 

[Tornado]

Space vagina.


Or maybe even...

 

[kikie]

Very curieus about the new Model 3 and the price.

 

[Dan]

Very curieus about the new Model 3 and the price.

Tesla said it was supposed to be in the $30,000 range.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Tesla said it was supposed to be in the $30,000 range.

$35k after incentives I believe.

 

[Dan]

$35k after incentives I believe.

Aren't those incentives being cancelled in 2018?

 

[CodeRedR51]

Aren't those incentives being cancelled in 2018?

Not sure. All I know is this.

Edit: Scroll to the bottom and click "Phaseout" since the link doesn't want to work properly.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Model 3 shown at the reveal should be a working prototype and not strictly a concept car.

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/03/tesla-to-reveal-driveable-model-3.html

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

This is a car reveal I'm genuinely hyped for. I'm currently driving a Renault Zoe EV, and a Model 3 would for me represent a natural progression, both in terms of size and range. The Chevy Bolt - despite it's predicted good range - is just ugly as sin. Just because it's an EV doesn't mean it has to look like a stool sample.

 

[Tyger]

I'm hoping for a new sports coupe, though when your 4-seater sedan blows many supercars out of the water, I guess they won't feel the need.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Just a reminder the unveiling is less than a day away. Thursday 8:00pm Pacific at teslamotors.com

 

[Dan]

Just a reminder the unveiling is less than a day away. Thursday 8:00pm Pacific at teslamotors.com

So close, but so far away!