After years of anticipation, Tesla’s mass market EV will finally start being delivered to early reservation holders in just a few short months. Despite a history of missing launch windows, Tesla during its last earnings report affirmed that Model 3 production remains on track for July with deliveries scheduled to begin before the end of the year. With the Model 3 form factor practically decided upon at this point, Tesla has been testing the Model 3 out on the open road with increasing frequency over the past few weeks.
The latest Model 3 sighting reveals a brand new color for Tesla’s mass market EV, with a red model joining the ranks of white, blue and black Model 3’s already spotted out in public. The red Model 3 pictured below was taken by an Instagram user with the handle gobi.man who uploaded the photo yesterday evening.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT-P_D5A2lj/?taken-by=gobi.man
If all goes according to plan, Elon Musk last February said that the final Model 3 reveal will likely go down in July. So while the overall form factor of the Model 3 is, again, already nailed down, Tesla’s next and final Model 3 event will give us a better idea of what we can expect the vehicle’s steering wheel and other aspects of the interior to look like.
Ahead of production, Tesla noted the following in its most recent shareholder letter:
Model 3 vehicle development is nearly complete as we approach the start of production. Release Candidate vehicles, built using production-intent tooling and processes, are being tested to assess fit and finish, to support vehicle software development and to ensure a smooth and predictable homologation process. Road testing is also underway to refine driving dynamics and ensure vehicle durability.
Assuming no unforeseen hiccups, Tesla added that it’s aiming to have Model 3 production at about 5,000 vehicles per week before the end of the year. Subsequently, Tesla is planning to increase Model 3 production to 10,000 vehicles sometime in 2018. All told, Tesla remains committed to manufacturing 500,000 vehicles throughout 2018, an ambitious goal to say the least.
And on the off-chance that you missed any of the other Model 3 sightings which have come to light over the past few weeks, below are a few to help get you up to speed.
