The Tesla Model 3 has gone into production as the electric car manufacturer gears up for the launch of its planned mass-seller.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted pictures on Twitter of the first production Model 3, which is apparently going to be his own.
The Model 3 is a four-door saloon – effectively a downsized version of the already on-sale Model S, to a size that can challenge the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
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It promises seating for five, a 0-60mph time of under six seconds and a range between charges of 215 miles. The car also comes ready fitted with the technology required for future autonomous driving.
In America the Model 3 has a starting price of around $35,000, equivalent to £28,000 – UK prices are yet to be announced but will no doubt make the car a viable rival to conventional executive saloons.
More details of the Model 3 are expected to be revealed on 28th July when the first 30 examples are presented to their owners at a ‘handover party’. First serious deliveries are expected to begin in September but many customers could be waiting a while. Tesla reports orders for the Model 3 of around 500,000, and industry reports suggest that its plant will be producing 20,000 examples per month by December.
