With Tesla slated to begin mass production on the Model 3 in just about three months, the company is starting to openly test its mass market EV out on the open road. As a result, Model 3 sightings on various roads and highways in California are becoming a lot more commonplace. So while the first video footage of a release candidate version of the Model 3 was short and blurry, more recent photos and videos have managed to provide us with a crisper look at what is arguably the most anticipated car release of 2017.
Over the weekend, Tesla enthusiasts spotted a blue Tesla Model 3 cruising along the Interstate 280 in California and, like any obsessed Tesla fan is liable to do, they took video and a bevy of photos. While taking what essentially amounts to spy shots of a $35,000 car isn’t something that traditionally happens in the automotive world, the Model 3 isn’t exactly a traditional car. What’s more, because Tesla has yet to reveal the final Model 3 design, there’s an added layer of intrigue to these spy shots taken at various locations near and around Tesla’s headquarters.
Up first, we have two new videos of a blue Model 3 on the road. And yes, it’s being followed by a black Model S. The following videos were recorded by the omg_tesla Twitter account with the first video taken from the car’s dashboard and the second video coming from the passenger seat of the same car.
Here’s the first video.
And the second.
Not to be outdone, what we presume is the same Model 3 was spotted by the folks over at TheTeslaShow who uploaded a whopping 25 new shots of the Model 3 in action. One of the better ones can be seen below.
While the photos and videos above don’t give us a glimpse of the Model 3 interior, Elon Musk recently confirmed that the Model 3 won’t include a futuristic dashboard. In other words, the dashboard of the Model 3 will remain completely empty and drivers will have to rely on the 15-inch touchscreen in the center dash in order to ascertain information such as speed and range. In effect, the Model 3 interior will look similar to the photos below.
The only potential difference is that the shipping version of the Model 3 will presumably have a more advanced steering wheel design with an assortment of controls. Elon Musk last year even likened it to a spaceship.
“Wait until you see the real steering controls and system for the 3,” Musk said in a tweet 12 months ago. “It feels like a spaceship.”
All that said, Tesla in recent weeks has taken steps to emphatically proclaim that the Model 3 will not be more advanced than the Model S in any capacity. Just a few days ago, Tesla published a blogpost indicating in plain language that users looking for the best driving experience Tesla has to offer might be happier with the Model S.
“While Model 3 will be our newest car,” the post reads in part, “it isn’t ‘Version 3’ or the next generation Tesla. Our higher priced premium models still include the most advanced technology and the best driving experience we have to offer.”
