We now fully know the price of the Tesla Model 3. True to his word, Elon Musk kept the long rumored $35,000 price. But the question is, will buyers actually want a basic Model 3?
The standard trim of the Model 3 is by no means sparse. It does lack several of the innovations Tesla touts though. For $35,000 buyers will get a car with 220 miles of range and a supercharging rate of 130 miles per 30 minutes. Top speed is 130 mph and it will whisk you to 60 in 5.6 seconds.
Interior equipment contains the massive touchscreen display in the center of the dashboard and even comes with navigation. However, buyers only get manual cloth seats and a rather basic audio system.
Buyers will get a wide array of safety features though. Tesla claimed since the Model 3 announcement that it would be the safest car in the world. With a whole host of cameras, radar systems, and ultrasonic sensors Tesla went all out. Collision avoidance and automatic braking are standard as well.
Optional extras are what starts to inflate the price quickly though. For example, if buyers want their Model 3 in any color other than black, they need to pony up an additional $1,000.
The long range battery pack, which is likely to be the most common option, costs $9,000. This boosts range to 310 miles and allows supercharging to give owners 170 miles of range per 30 minutes. It also increased the top speed to 140 mph and lowers 0-60 times to 5.1 seconds.
The Premium Upgrade Package clocks in at $5,000. With heated, power adjustable seats, wood accents, and a premium audio system, this makes the Model 3 feel more like a luxury car. In addition to these interior upgrades, buyers also get a tinted glass roof, auto dimming mirrors, and LED fog lamps. Due to these upgrades and the cars the Model 3 competes against, the premium package is sure to entice buyers as well.
For those looking to get the highly touted Tesla Autopilot system, an additional $5,000 gets added to the price. However, this system doesn’t contain the self-driving features. To get that it’s another $3,000 on top of the $5,000.
In reality a $35,000 Model 3 balloons to $51,000 if buyers want one that feels like a luxury car and alleviates some range anxiety. Once they check every option box though, the price climbs to over $60,000 with the optional 19-inch wheels.
Incentives offset the price to some degree, but the Model 3 still is by no means an electric car for the average person. This still comes in under the base price of the Model S, which has a starting price of $69,500. Needless to say, the Model 3 is a step in the right direction for the automaker in terms of affordability. Musk isn’t worried about demand either: as of July 28, 2017, over 500,000 reservation had been placed.
Production for the Model 3 is already underway and targets 5,000 cars per week. Tesla hopes by the end of next year that number will double to 10,000 per week.
See more articles on Tesla.
