Here's Everything You Need To Know About The Tesla Model 3

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been working towards this moment ever since he started his electric car company. The Model 3 is the culmination of his master plan to bring electric vehicles to the mass market. At a brief launch event today, he pulled the wraps off the car he believes will change the way people think about EVs.

The crowd was full of rabid Tesla fanboys who cheered on every word he said, so are they right to worship Tesla and the Model 3 like this? Well, now we have the vital statistics, and it’s clear that the establishment had better sit up and take notice. There were no shock reveals, but Musk’s team has nailed everything we said it had to in order to compete with the likes of BMW and Audi.

First and foremost we have to talk pricing. All along, the target was to make the entry level Model 3 retail at $35,000, and it does. Unsurprising, given how much emphasis had been placed on the cost of the car, but an achievement nonetheless. The exciting thing for buyers, though, is that this price is before incentives - depending on where you live that may make no difference at all, but there are places in America where you can now pick up a new Tesla for well under $30k.

Musk revealed that in the last 24 hours, 115,000 people paid $1000 to pre-order the Model 3, meaning that Tesla made $115m from the car before anyone had even seen it. He also confirmed that the first cars would start being made next year, although he joked that they “should” be, referencing the horrendous delays the Model X encountered.

So what about performance? Musk said he “doesn’t make slow cars,” and backed that up by confirming that even the base model will hit 60mph in under six seconds. There’s no word currently on a performance variant, but you can expect M3-rivalling performance, so 0-60mph in around four seconds thanks to all-wheel drive and dual electric motors.

Range is also a vital figure for electric cars, with range anxiety still affecting many consumers. With that in mind, the Model 3 will have a range of 215 miles for the base model, with that increasing to a likely 300 miles for the top-spec version. Musk also confirmed that the Supercharger network would be doubled over the next year, to ensure that there are as few barriers to driving your Tesla as possible.

The Model S was famous for being ludicrously safe, and even managed to break crash testing equipment. Tesla wants to continue that reputation by making the Model 3 so safe it gets a five star rating in every category. It’ll also be spacious, and uses clever packaging to ensure there’s enough room for five people, aided by the fact the dashboard can be pushed well forward since there’s no firewall needed. Like the Model S, the Model 3 will also have a front and rear trunk.

There are no hi-res images of the interior as yet, but we did catch a screen grab from the launch event (above). Tesla’s traditional portrait-oriented, dashboard-integrated touchscreen has been replaced with a more square unit that protrudes from the dashboard. It’s not quite as sleek as what Tesla has produced before, but it does allow a more spacious cabin, which the company clearly felt was more important.

Tesla has absolutely nailed the hype machine, and has created a rabid fan base that has already made it millions. It’ll be interesting to see how the Model 3 is received by the general public, and whether it’ll sell at a steady, profitable rate once the initial hype orders run out. We’re just waiting on stats for a Ludicrous model… M Division, watch your back.