Prior to the launch event on Thursday night, Musk had secured 115,00 pre-orders and the number has grown by another 83,000 since. The Model Model 3 can go 215 miles on a single charge, which is around what Nerad said he expected from the vehicle.
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Those who pre-ordered will be waiting a while for their Model 3, however: Musk yesterday said he is “fairly confident” that deliveries to customers will begin next year. While the acceleration may not be as quick as its own Model S, the Model 3 can still do 0 to 60 in 6 seconds.
Musk noted that with all new technology, multiple iterations are needed and economies of scale prior to making the unit affordable.
While the Model 3’s price tag of $35,000 for a base model put a smile on the faces of many consumers, some experts remain critical of Tesla’s decision to price the new electric sedan so low. Musk also promised that the Model 3 will have a five-star NTHSA safety rating in every category, not just an overall five-star rating.
The electric carmaker’s billionaire chief executive tweeted Friday afternoon that almost 200,000 deposits of $1,000 each had been plunked down on the upcoming Model 3 – targeted for mass appeal with a $35,000 sticker price – since early Thursday.
GM is set to introduce the Chevrolet Bolt later this year and Nissan’s latest iteration of the Leaf will appear by 2017, expanding the market for affordable, longer-range electric cars. Tesla has produced a handful of electric vehicles since, but the Model S emerged as one of the best-selling plug-in electric cars. The Fremont, Calif. factory where Tesla (TSLA) builds its cars used to produce almost half a million cars a year when it was owned by General Motors (GM) and Toyota (TM), he said, so it should have no trouble meeting Tesla’s needs for this third model. “Granted, it’s only a fully refundable thousand dollar deposit, but to achieve well over 100,000 preliminary orders for any vehicle in the first 24 hours, even with no deposit, is an admirable achievement”. The Model 3 has a panoramic glass roof and an elongated hood. But Tesla has something Chevy doesn’t: hype.
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The Vernoys, like others, feel their down payment is getting more than the promise of a vehicle – it’s also an investment in Tesla.
