When Tesla unveiled the Model 3 to the world nearly 16 months ago, Elon Musk made a point of noting that we were only glancing at a Model 3 prototype. So while the vehicular design, in a broad sense, was complete, it was never any secret that the car’s final design remained a work in progress. As a quick example, the original Model 3 we saw last year featured a curious trunk design that some quickly categorized as a “design fail” for a variety of reasons.
Since then, Tesla has made a number of subtle yet noticeable design changes to the Model 3, some of which we’ve seen thanks to an onslaught of Model 3 spy shots that surfaced online over the past few weeks.
Over the weekend, Elon Musk tweeted out a pair of photos of the first Model 3 to roll off the production line. With that in tow, it’s now possible to compare the final Model 3 design to the original Model 3 design we first feasted are eyes upon many months back.
Helping us out, the folks over at PartCatalog put together a helpful GIF which showcases how the Model 3 design morphed into its final form.
New GIF Shows Tesla Model 3 Styling Changes From Introduction Until Now https://t.co/4ynZHKIqll pic.twitter.com/GXSvan71Qq
— CleanTechnica (@cleantechnica) July 11, 2017
CleanTechnica took stock of some of the more significant changes.
The finished car has a longer, flatter nose section, no doubt for better aerodynamics but maybe also due to feedback after the initial reveal event. The front wheels have also been pushed forward slightly. In the rear, the tail section is a tiny bit higher. There were complaints at the unveiling that the trunk was a “letter slot” that hampered access to the interior of the car for things like bicycles, surfboards, and other bulky items. It appears the trunk opening has been redesigned to make it somewhat larger and taller.
All in all, the car looks pretty darn good. Of course, the pressing issue isn’t whether or not consumers are interested in the Model 3, it’s whether Tesla can ramp up production fast enough as to not make existing and new reservation holders wait more than 12 months to finally get their hands on the car.
