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<\/p>\n<\/div>The Tesla Model 3 has arrived \u2013 like a comet across the California sky.<\/p>\n
Just after midnight Eastern Time Saturday morning (9 PM Pacific) Tesla CEO and circus-master Elon Musk delivered the first 30 production models of the all-electric sedan \u2013 perhaps the most anticipated new car in a generation.\u00a0 The customers \u2013 reportedly all Tesla associates \u2013 received their steeds before thousands of their peers at Tesla\u2019s Fremont, California manufacturing plant and thousands more watching online via live feed.<\/p>\n
The Model 3 is the first Tesla under $40,000 to travel more than 200 miles on a charge. The third step in Tesla\u2019s so-called \u201cmaster plan\u201d after the premium Model S sedan and gull-winged Model X SUV, the Model 3 aims to bring the Tesla brand to the heart of the luxury market. Musk announced two versions of the Model 3 \u2013 a \u201cStandard\u201d version beginning at $35,000 with 220 miles of range, a zero-60 time of 5.6 seconds, and 130 mph top speed. A \u201cLong Range\u201d version, which features a larger battery, starts at $44,000 with a range of 310 miles.<\/p>\n
Fully loaded, a Premium-trim, Model 3 Long Range will sticker for $59,200. Available features include the Premium\u2019s heated and electronically-controlled leather seats ($5,000), 19-inch wheels, Autopilot self-driving feature ($8,000), and five colors other than standard black ($1,000 each).<\/p>\n
Driving a red Model 3 on stage \u2013 its Porsche-like\u00a0face naked of any grille ornamentation – Musk was met by thunderous applause before easing into his trademark, halting, off-the-cuff remarks explaining the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to be in production Hell for six months or longer,\u201d he laughed, anticipating the enormous demand for a startup automaker that has already been deluged with nearly 400,000 Model 3 orders \u2013 or more than five times as many 3-series as BMW sold in the US last year.<\/p>\n
Musk gave few details of the car, but a number of journalists got a chance to drive the Model 3 in Fremont for 15 minutes each before the unveiling – including Tim Stevens,\u00a0editor-in-chief of The Roadshow<\/a>\u00a0by CNET.<\/p>\n “It has the same road qualities as the Model S with really brisk acceleration,” Stevens said in an interview. “The handling is really nice. Though some people are going to take time to get used to the lack of instrumentation.”<\/p>\n Stevens reports that there are no gauges behind the steering wheel \u2013 unlike the Model 3\u2019s Model S and X predecessors. All the car\u2019s operating information is contained in a single, 15-inch horizontal tablet (not vertical as in the Model S) display that hovers in front of the long wooden dash. Digital speed and mileage readouts occupy the upper 25 percent of the tablet. There was speculation that the car would get a heads-up display – similar to the projected displays found on Audi, Cadillac, and BMW chariots – \u00a0but Stevens says there is none.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is not much of an instrument panel,\u201d said Musk, \u201cbecause cars will be increasingly autonomous so you won\u2019t really need to look at an instrument panel. You\u2019ll be able to do anything you want \u2013 watch a movie, talk to friends, go to sleep. Every Tesla has all of the hardware for full autonomy: 8 cameras, 12 sonar, 4 radar.\u201d<\/p>\n Stevens\u00a0says the Model 3 feels like a smaller, cheaper version of the lightning-fast, 200-mile-range\u00a0$68,000 Model S<\/a>\u00a0– the best-selling large luxury sedan in the US. Tesla has become a cult brand not only because of electrification but because of its unique approach to design. All Model 3s will come standard with a full glass roof. Keyless entry is not by a fob in your pocket – but by a Tesla app downloaded to your smart phone.<\/p>\n Two mouse wheels are mounted on the steering wheel that control most car functions including side mirror adjustments. The cars will be regularly upgraded by over-the-air software features. Unlike the more expensive Model S and X models, however, the Model 3 will not have a lifetime powertrain warranty.<\/p>\n![\"Model](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/455032119a4b230afd5c38fb389795e26f20e1dd\/c=0-0-3405-2560&r=x408&c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/07\/29\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636368889441552232-Model-3-Interior-Dash---Profile-View.png\")
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